Podcasts about leadership university

Send us a textOur latest guest is Steven Dossou. Affectionately known as the "Action Man”, is a renowned TedX speaker, author and co-founder of Leadership University. Originating from humble beginnings in his homeland of Togo, West Africa, he has steadily ascended to positions of leadership and now calls Portugal his home. He chats to Dylan about how he got here, why he loves living in Portugal and how Portugal energises him.FOLLOW OUR GUESTSSteven on LinkedinSteven's WebsiteSteven on InstagramABOUT PORTUGAL THE SIMPLE LIFE PODCAST:   "Portugal - The simple life”, an insider's perspective to Portugal.We already know about Portugal's fantastic weather, food and people. In this podcast, we go deeper to meet the people who make this country so wonderful.Dylan, who has made his life in Portugal, shares an insider's perspective on what makes Portugal the unique, beautiful and fantastic country it is. Join him and his guests weekly as they shed light on the incredible people, culture, history and lifestyle that make Portugal so appealing. A country where everyone feels like they belong.   Don't forget to subscribe to our Podcast to receive more stories about living and moving to Portugal!   SPONSOR:Portugal Realty, a Leisure Launch group company, sponsors this episode. 

Unleashing Potential: From Humble Beginnings to Global Impact with Steven Dossou Host: Sheila Glavee Guest: Stephen Dossou In this inspiring episode of PODCAST with SHEILA, we delve into the remarkable journey of Steven Dossou, a charismatic visionary who has transformed his life from humble beginnings in Togo, West Africa, to a global platform of impactful leadership. Steven, affectionately known as "Action Man," is a TEDx speaker, founder of Sail Force Catalyst, co-founder of Leadership University, and a dedicated coach. He has been featured on CBS, NBC, and Fox for his motivational work and has inspired thousands worldwide. Episode Highlights: 1. Introduction - TEDx speaker, founder of Sail Force Catalyst, and co-founder of Leadership University. - Recognized on CBS, NBC, and Fox. - Known for his energetic and action-oriented approach to life. 2. Journey from Togo to Global Impact: - Overcoming extreme poverty in Togo with a strong will to achieve. - Creating a path of leadership and impact on a global scale. 3. Living a purpose driven life Key Questions Explored: 1. What pivotal moment inspired Steve to start Sail Force Catalyst and dedicate his career to empowerment? 2. How did Steve earn the nickname "Action Man," and what drives his high energy and focus? 3. How did growing up in Togo shape Steve's vision and mission in leadership and education? 4. What specific stories or moments have reinforced Steve's commitment to his cause? Quotes: "True leadership is not about the title or position; it's about inspiring others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more." - Steven Dossou Call to Action: Join us in this episode to learn from Steven Dossou's incredible journey and gain insights on how to break boundaries, redefine limits, and unleash your potential. Don't miss this chance to be inspired by a true visionary leader. Listen and Subscribe: Subscribe to Podcast with Sheila on [iTunes], [Spotify], [Google Podcasts], or wherever you get your podcasts. Don't forget to leave a review and share this episode with those who need a dose of inspiration. Follow Us: - [Podcast with Sheila Website] podcastwithsheila.wordpress.com - [Facebook] https://www.facebook.com/share/hdfiSHdwuJ5e7MjF/?mibextid=LQQJ4d - [Instagram] https://www.instagram.com/podcast_with_sheila?igsh=MTVrZWFrbmRucTU1aw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

A lot has changed since the late 19th century, so why are we still using the same leadership model? 70-80% of employees hate their boss, which means something needs to change in how we view and develop leaders. And, since disengaged employees only give about 15% in productivity, image how your organization could change and even make more money if the leadership style we use instead involved more appreciation and recognition for the entire team? In this episode I talk with Chris Mefford, author of "Leadership is Overrated: How the Navy SEALs (and Successful Businesses) Create Self-Leading Teams That Win." We discuss some practical ways leaders can define, develop, and sustain a more sustainable leadership model in today's environment. It's a Mefford & Mefford episode (and no, it's not a law firm), but two distant relatives talking about something they are both passionate about: leadership. Chris Mefford is a seasoned marketing professional and leadership expert. He is the author of the book Leadership is Overrated, which he co-authored with retired Navy SEAL Kyle Buckett. He is currently the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for TCWGlobal, overseeing the company's global marketing and branding initiatives. Prior to his current role, Chris served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Rock Church, at the time the 15th largest church in America. During his time there, he developed marketing strategies that helped increase the church's visibility and impact in the community. Before joining Rock Church, Chris spent a decade as the Director of Marketing and VP of Ramsey Event Productions, working alongside radio host and New York Times #1 best-selling author and Radio Hall of Fame inductee Dave Ramsey. He was instrumental in creating two highly successful podcasts, Dave Ramsey's Entreleadership, and Leadership University with Dr. Henry Cloud. Both podcasts achieved remarkable success, with millions of downloads and listeners. Beyond his corporate commitments, Chris's involvement with philanthropic organizations such as The Honor Foundation and The Salvation Army underscores his profound dedication to fostering positive social change. Chris Mefford holds an MBA from the prestigious Odette School of Business at the University of Windsor. And two leadership certificates from Harvard University testaments to his dedication to continued personal and professional development. Chris is married with two kids and lives in San Diego. To learn more visit: leadershipisoverrated.com FOR FULL SHOW NOTES AND LINKS VISIT: https://www.jasonmefford.com/jammingwithjason388/ IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WATCH THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/hSTew8KaDHc MEET WITH ME MONTHLY: Join me each month for live group calls in The Spiritual Campfire™ at: https://jasonmefford.mykajabi.com/the-spiritual-campfire CONNECT WITH ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA: My YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/c/jasonleemefford] and make sure to subscribe My Facebook page [https://www.facebook.com/jammingwithjasonmefford] My LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonmefford/] My website [https://jasonmefford.com] LIKED THE PODCAST? If you're the kind of person who likes to help others, then share this with your friends and family. If you found value, the will too. Please leave a review [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/jamming-with-jason-mefford/id1456660699] on Apple Podcasts so we can reach more people. STAY UP TO DATE WITH NEW CONTENT: It can be difficult to find information on social media and the internet, but you get treated like a VIP and have one convenient list of new content delivered to you inbox each week when you subscribe to Jason's VIP Lounge at: https://jasonmefford.com/vip/ plus that way you can communicate with me through email. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jammingwithjason/support

Welcome to another insightful episode of the Sweet on Leadership Podcast. Tim Sweet hosts leadership coach Jeff Massone. Their conversation delves into the complexities of personal and professional growth, focusing on overcoming distractions and fostering positive influences. They start by dissecting the pervasive impact of social media and continuous news cycles on our mindset and productivity.Throughout their discussion, Jeff underscores the importance of intentional relationships, urging listeners to surround themselves with supportive and motivating individuals. He provides strategies for minimizing negative influences both in professional settings and personal lives, emphasizing the concept of signal-to-noise ratio—where the key lies in filtering out distractions to prioritize valuable information. Tim and Jeff challenge conventional corporate training methods, advocating instead for personalized coaching that aligns with individual strengths and aspirations.Drawing from insights in Marcus Buckingham's "Love and Work," they highlight the significance of understanding unique differences in job satisfaction. They explore Patrick Lencioni's team-building strategies, emphasizing their adaptability to foster deeper team cohesion and commitment. Ultimately, Tim and Jeff stress that effective leadership isn't about rigid adherence to rules but about cultivating individualized paths toward leadership fluency and competency. Through intentional choices and strategic focus, listeners are encouraged to navigate their leadership journey with clarity and purpose.About Jeff MassoneJeff Massone is a dynamic and accomplished leader with a proven 20-year track record as a project leader in corporate America, including professional training as a coach, trainer, and speaker on leadership through the John Maxwell Team.Resources discussed in this episode:Love and Work by Marcus BuckinghamPatrick LencioniJohn MaxwellGood Will HuntingLeaders Eat Last by Simon SinekTED Talks--Contact Tim Sweet | Team Work Excellence: WebsiteLinkedIn: Tim SweetInstagramLinkedin: Team Work ExcellenceContact Jeff Massone | Prepared Leader Consulting WebsiteInstagramFacebookLinkedIn--TranscriptJeff 00:01How do you replace the void that comes from not binge-watching television shows? And from not, you know, watching Social Media, yes, get a coach. But start your own self-development. You become an expert in leadership by reading a leadership book a month, and just work with it. Like, you know, I could never give away my books because I have all my notes in them. They're reminding me of a situation. Tim 00:26I'd like to ask you some questions. Do you consider yourself the kind of person that gets things done? Are you able to take a vision and transform that into action? Are you able to align others towards that vision and get them moving to create something truly remarkable? If any of these describe you, then you, my friend, area leader, and this show is all about and all for you. I'm Tim Sweet, welcome to the Sweet on Leadership Podcast, episode 37. Tim 01:00Hey, everybody, welcome back to the Sweet on Leadership podcast, I am really happy to be inviting a brand new friend that was introduced to me just a few days ago. But I mean, man, Jeff, we've hit it off, I think. Professionally, you and I are just, we're on the same wavelength. Jeff 01:16100%. I mean, we had talked the other day, I had kind of really wished we were recording at that point. But here we are today. And you know, really ready to dive in.  Tim 01:26The term you use, which I really loved was leadership geek, if we're going to geek out about something geeking out on leadership is one of my favourite things. So, when you and I had a chance to talk, I was really enthused by what you stand for, and how much it really fits with my own thinking. I've always said that the thing that fuels me and moves me forward is I hate watching people struggle. I hate watching people stuck. And you told me a little bit about distraction. Tell us all about that. What caused you to this work? Jeff 01:57It's so interesting. So, we live in such a distracted world, when you think about what we have to do as workers right? You know, whatever job that you have, you know, whether you have an office job, whether you're out doing construction, a teacher, cop doesn't really matter. You know, we have this ever-present social media, this phone, this leash that we have attached to us, that when you watch people, you're watching them scroll, right? They're just scrolling on social media, with no real purpose, right? And, you know, we know a lot of those distractions, you know, are actually making you angry, fearful, making you sad. And, you know, that's going to do nothing for what you're trying to do for your career. Right? So, that's number one. And then the kissing cousins that are is 24/7 cable news, you know, that does the same thing, the anger, the fear, the anxiety, the depression, and you know, it just takes your eye off the ball, right? You're trying to, you know, in my world, project management, you know, launch a new product, right? Or trying to come up with a new product design, no matter what you're doing in your world. There that distraction is, if you let it. I work with people, I tell them right away. So, why don't we do this? Why don't try this at least six weeks diet, have no social media just take it off? Right? Well, you know, I need to– no, you can have it on your computer, but just take it off your phone, right? Let's try that. Let's try not looking at the news for that same amount of time. And what you do is the best thing you can do is replace that time because you realize there's going to be a void. You're so used to reaching for that phone to look at Instagram or looking at LinkedIn or looking at Facebook. This time you're like, Oh, there's nothing there. Once you replace it with a TED Talk. Tim 03:35Yeah. Something positive. Jeff 03:39Something positive that's gonna help your career. You know, for me, I'm sitting there, and I watch. I'm like, wow, you know, 24/7 News. You know, even the one in the left and the right, right, even though I agree with, it's not helping you be a better parent, right? It's not helping you be a better business owner, be a better team leader. It's helping you with exactly nothing. Tim 04:01So, really being intentional about where we direct our attention. And what we consume. My family is full of teachers, my sister has this great saying and she says little pots have big handles. And I don't think it's just kids, I think we have big handles too. And if we let the wrong something in, well, it can stay there. Or it can at least occupy space that could be better used. And one of the things that you'd said in our lead up to this and I know we're gonna get there again. But this distraction isn't just happening that's externally sometimes this can be distraction by the wrong tools or things that were handed within our pursuit of management, or leadership, or sales, or our own business. And there's things that are presented as answers, but they can also be distractions, they can also take us away from the things that are going to provide real value. And that's something that I really like that line of thought. Jeff 04:58For those that are listening here, you know, and obviously, we know, we're well aware that Tim and I are that way to be able to promote this yes, we have to use social media, right? You're going to be seeing, you know, some promotions on Instagram, you know, LinkedIn places. But at the same time, I've worked with people who, again, use social media, and that's how they make money. And they're not on the platforms save maybe a half hour in the morning and a half hour at night. Because they know that distraction that at least, so if people who are actively using social media to bring in money, and so they're putting food on the table, aren't engaging in the platforms all day long, that should tell you something, right? You know, often, they'll hire people, like if they're reaching out to you for their services, it's not really them, right? It's their team, even though it's under their name. So, again, be mindful of that fact that, you know, even in that case, that extreme case of usership on social media, they're not using it any degree that most people are using it today at this time.  Tim 06:02So, what I hear you saying is that we have to control and be mindful and intentional around what we're bringing in. And I like the phrase signal to noise ratio, we need to turn up the signal and the quality of those signals, and we need to really be mindful of and try to lessen the noise, right? And so we have all this external noise. When we think about coaching, and the pursuit of it, or the pursuit of personal development, career development, all of these things, what are some of the specific sources of noise that you encounter? And maybe I'll ask you first to talk about what's really common among people that you run into? Jeff 06:45The biggest source of noise is what I used to call it water cooler talk, right? You're kind of going to the water cooler, and you hear all the negative things that somebody feels about the company, somebody feels about their life. And, you know, that's, you know, again, doesn't serve you in terms of, you know, what's entering your mind. Other things, that's just really important. I mean, you have to guard what's going into your mind, you know, what a lot of people don't understand is, you know, that your thoughts, impact your emotions, your emotions, impact your actions, and then your actions then lead to your results. But what people don't realize is, you know, what starts with the thoughts, I mean, you're being fed something. So, that's, we have to figure out like, what am I going to stop this? So yes, we talked about social media. Yes, we talked about 24/7 news. But then there's the negative people, right? So, who are you around, you know, in, you know, in your business or in the workplace, and are they you know, a positive force? Do you feel good when you've actually walked away with 10-minute conversation? Do you feel motivated? Or do you not? So, I mean, I think that's really, you know, something that's very important for people to understand, and I didn't realize it, right, you know, you go into, you know, you start a job, and then you kind of just kind of get around folks, and, you know, you have to stop that like, as soon as you start hearing something that's not positive, you have to go out and say, Alright, you know, let me just find a new tribe. Right? And that's just so that's just so important. Because you know, then it gets, you know, you have this other negativity that's getting in your head and that's hard. The hardest thing I'll say to Tim, is when the negative noise are your family and friends. Tim 08:24Oh, yeah, that can be rough. And as you were talking about whether it's at the home, whether it's at the watercooler you're saying, one of the characteristics of that negative talk that I've noticed a lot is that it can develop a life of its own, it can become this myth. And these stories, and these opinions that people forget where they come from, but they turn into these self-perpetuating doom tornadoes, and stigmas, and stories that people now have to contend with, when we don't even know exactly if they're based, in fact, any more, but they become the popular rhetoric because maybe it allows people to externalize other nerves and stuff that they're feeling. And so it fuels this thing like a really negative fire, and the ability to spot that, not contribute to it, and then pull oneself out of it is really important. But speak to me a little bit about this, because what I've noticed is when one chooses to pull oneself out of that, they can then incur the wrath of all the believers, right? They can then become the target and that often is enough motivation for people to stay at that water cooler and in that tribe. So, what do you suggest when a person feels exposed by trying to out the negative story?  Jeff 09:47There's a certain finesse that you can do that. I mean, you certainly don't say wow, you're the most negative person I've ever heard, please never talk to me again. You just politely sort of like, you know, move on and then slowly kind of ween yourself off hard, right? Like, it's like you're not, you know, you'd be like, wow, like, you know what, what just happened there. And you just try to find yourself and this is hard, you know, I come from, you know, larger organizations, you know, fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies. And when we were in the office consistently, at least where I work, there was a lot of opportunity to just find a new tribe, you know, when you're in a really small company, that can be very, very difficult. Right? But, you know, in general, you know, what you're trying to look for is you're trying to get around folks that are where you want to be. Tim 10:30Yeah, what I say your success and your place in life is the sum average of those you choose to surround yourself. Right? Jeff 10:37Right? They usually say, I think it's like the average of the five people you hang out with, you know, and again, you so, it's almost like, you have to do it and like little silos, right? The workplace silo, and then like, you're outside of work silos. Like who are you hanging out with, you know, outside of work? Are you hanging out with strivers, right? You know, which is awesome, you know, are you hanging out with people that are just, like, happy to punch the clock, so to speak, and you know, get in/get out. We actually, you know, the best thing you can do is hanging out again, like I said, you know, if you're a business owner, you hang out with a business owner that's been doing it, you know, in his or her realm for, you know, 5, 10, 15 years and has scaled and has grown, and you're like, Oh, my God, you make what per month? You're not gonna have, you're gonna have much, you're just gonna have much different conversations. I think one of the things that I heard years and years ago, I think I said to John Maxwell, that was, you know, people are literally around the same table with the same people talking about the same thing. And they're wondering why they're in the same position in their life, particularly from a career perspective. Tim 11:43I mean, certain types of energies are like air and water for people. And I used to use the term water hole, because it was like, the water hole that I needed, the water that I needed to drink was different than other animals. I want to find people that are in search of the same water holes that I am, that are in search of tapping into those same energies. And so, for instance, I do a lot of work with startup companies. There's a specific energy around that. I do a lot of work with universities, there's a specific energy around that. And I do a lot of work in sports entertainment, sports event company, that is a specific type of energy. Now, they're all different venues and different spaces. But the energy that I get out of it, that I look for is this is a compatible waterhole for lack of a better word. And that water hole is not comfort. And that water hole is not safety. And that water hole is not leisure, that water hole is, you know, if I think about the mountain biking race company that I'm part of, find what's on the inside-outside is their tagline that speaks to me on levels that I can't even properly articulate all the time. So, look for those sources of people that are out for the same thing, that are fueled on the same sustenance, and are with you in the hunt, and with you in the gather.  Jeff 13:08Yeah, it's interesting. And I love how you gave those different examples, right of the startup or the university, you're not going to one specific avatar, right? But you know, the energy of the people that you're trying to get here, that positive energy, that energy of creation, right? You know, who you are around, right? Like, when you start talking to people, I love talking to successful business owners, right? It's a different energy than, say, a corporate executive. Right? And, you know, maybe the bank accounts look similar, right, in terms of their annual income. But it's so very different. When you talk to somebody who has, you know, started, like, you know, we're a startup, you know, then they're a company, and then they scale their company, and that they're continuing to grow, you know, because what they're doing, what they have done, you know, is they've got their own coaches to say, hey, you know, mentors, you know, to see how they, how can they get to the next level, okay, you know, we're a six-figure company, and now we're a seven-figure company, eight-figure, and now we're trying to get to nine, right? And it's, you know, they don't just stop, you know, whereas, you know, as successful executive, you know, they fly to a certain level, right? And executive can mean different things to different people, you know, but, you know, maybe you're making, you know, 150, or 200. And that's where you'd like to live there. And then you're just kind of just there, right? You know, what are you making 300 or 400, as an executive, you're just kind of there, right? And if you're not looking to grow or scalel that you're just like looking to hold on to it, which is different. Tim 14:33It's very different. Jeff 14:34Then trying to grow something. Tim 14:38In the back catalogue, we've had two shows now with my good friend, Richard Young. Now Richard was on the Own The Podium committee for Canada and then the UK and then New Zealand, and he continues to run his practice out of New Zealand. Well, I mean, Richard is one of my favourite people ever. But his PhD and his research is all about what predicts a person from consistently meddling at the Olympics, or within higher sport competition, and a huge part of what Richard teaches is it's not about what we add, it's about what we let go of, you know, and many of the people that have worked with me will talk about the folly of additive logic versus reductive logic or transformation versus additive change. Anyway, when we look at the people we want to surround ourselves with, one of the hallmarks that I see in people that are moving easily in the strata that we want to achieve is that they're moving easily in the strata, they're moving, it's the path of least resistance for them. It's the thing that is that they've let loose of a lot of the preconceptions and the shoulds that a lot of popular business books or courses teach that you have to do. And they've just focused in on the right kind of signal, right? And they focused in on the things that that bring results. And that leaves them all sorts of room to be themselves and to believe what they're going to believe and go in and live their lives. Because they don't overcomplicate things, because they figured out that formula that they are enough. And often the people that are striving, which is a great place to be to strive, right? It's funny how often striving means doing less, it means getting to a point where it just feels easy. Or at least comparatively easy, I guess is what I would say. Jeff 16:32I love how you brought up, you know, I have to look into Richard Young and his work, you know, but as a consistent mentalist, I mean, my son is a competitive swimmer. You know, he's in high school level right now. And we're watching the US Olympic trials right now. And my guess is when this airs, it'll be the right before, right during the Olympics. Like when you see the people that this is their third trip, right? Like, what is driving that? Like, what are they doing, you know, like, quote-unquote, differently? You know, and people want to study that. And people want to hear from that, you know, and you're talking about a high-level elite athlete, or you're talking about, you know, a super successful business owner, business person like Bezos or Musk, right? Branson? Wow, like, you know, but people see the end, right? They don't see the unglamorous start, they don't see the equally unglamorous kind of middle. People see the end, right? And I think they get so end-focused, right? You know, you have folks who say, I want to be a VP by 30. Okay, for who do we want? You know, what are you looking to give up to be able to do that? So, it's, it's really interesting when you study excellence, and I also say to like, when you have those people, you know, those drivers, those super elite athletes, and it's no different than professional sports, and that, you know, here in the United States, NFL, or major league baseball, those elite athletes can pay, you know, 10s, in some cases, hundreds of millions of dollars to do a sport. The elite Olympic athletes are different. Yes, they get sponsorships and whatnot, the top of the top, most of them aren't getting anything. Tim 18:07There's not a lot of sponsorship for certain sports. Jeff 18:10Which means that after they're done, they gotta go do something. Tim 18:13Yeah, or do it while they're, while they're training and everything else. Jeff 18:17And I often think of like, I haven't seen a lot of elite athletes in a non-commissioned based role in corporate, you know, maybe somebody's hidden, once this is out could say, hey, you know, but I say that, because we don't have a meritocracy, right now, in the corporate world. People are getting promotions and whatnot, a lot of times for other reasons than accomplishing things. And I would imagine that, you know, the elite athlete trying to, you know, get into the corporate American watching this. It's a direct conflict, you know, with what it is that they've done throughout their young life, you know, and how they've achieved, you know, put in the work and achieved and then that's how you get, you know, your accomplishments. And that's not corporate America, it's more of the entrepreneurial world, right? I mean, what you're putting in and what you're getting out, high risk, high reward, but it's very different. You know, and it's just, I said that a while ago on the clubhouse app, you know, put it out to one of those clubhouse rooms, and people were just they sat there and thought they're like, yeah, that there was nobody in that room so to speak, that could come up with somebody that they knew that, you know, we're in a not again, non commissioned role, that I just don't think it exists because it's just diametrically opposed to their lifestyle.  Tim 19:30I think one of the the outcomes of this episode should be, I think we need to A. talk to our listeners who do you know, that has been elite in their sport and has managed to translate that into performance in business, or academically or some other pursuit? I do know that there are several people that I've been exposed to that have been ex-CFL football players or ex-NFL or Olympic people in everything from curling, to fencing, to, you know, but they've been achievement-focused to cycling, right? And the key with that, and it brings us to another sort of interesting crossroad here is that they were either lucky enough, or had guidance enough to be able to maintain their growth from a business professionals perspective maybe, but also had opportunities to join institutions and organizations that could see the value of their life experiences, and apply that into certain roles, rather than getting stuck on a tenure track of being a subject matter expert, which is why leadership is often a great place for these certain people to enter if they don't have a technical skill, or proficiency. But it raises an interesting point when we sort of circle back around to the focus that a person needs to maintain. There's so much in the area of team development and personal development, which is myopic on either a single answer, like so say it's a program. But that program assumes that you have a standard type of development through the beginning of your career, that you've gone to school, and you've got a degree and you've got all these things. And then there's this magic bullet process, which is suddenly going to answer everything. Whereas really, you know, one of the first key things that I note when I coach and facilitate to large groups is, people are all incredibly different, there will be no, this seems like a bit of a dumb thing to say. But when you have people that are starting from such different places from an education, experience, lifestyle, socio-economic, gender, could be race, can be all of these different elements that make them who they are. And we try to give them a vanilla product that's going to suddenly be translated, you know, it just doesn't work. I mean, scientifically, that's lunacy, we've got so many different variables that we need. Sure. I mean, there's nothing wrong with a good program, but then we need to go bespoke, we need to be able to customize or give them the tools to customize it to their needs. Jeff 22:15That's absolutely right. And I know, you know, in our previous conversation, I mentioned a book I just finished by Marcus Buckingham Love and Work. And, you know, he goes into a lot of topics, but one of them is the uniqueness of people. People are so unique that people in the same role love different things about it. In his book, he goes into housekeepers at Disney, you know, and interviewed them when he was with Gallup. Right? He was just trying to figure out, you know, like, okay, like, Well, what do you love about your job? Right, you know, and all the different things. So, when you extrapolate that to, you know, any job function, you see that uniqueness, and to your point, you know, this one magic pill, you know, one thing that I've seen in corporate is, you know, the onsite, you know, the two-day on-site training, or the off-site, you know, whichever way– Tim 23:04Pre-packaged, pre-scheduled, yeah. Jeff 23:08And it doesn't work. You know, corporations are spending, like six figures, depending on the size of the corporation, maybe even more to deliver this kind of, like, here it is, this is what leadership is, then they wonder why things haven't changed, people don't retain and it's proven, that, you know, once a couple of weeks have gone by, maybe they remember 17% of it, and then another couple of weeks after that, you know, 2%. You know, and then people just kind of go back to their normal ways of working, because that delivery model training, isn't transformative. Training is not transformative. And you know, when people think of it that well, okay, well, what should we do? You know, I had another conversation at a networking event. So, people like to check the box. So, a company so well, we provided them leadership development training, so good on us, right? If it didn't create better leaders, then what did you really provide? You know, and people don't realize, you know, coaching, right, coaching is really the modality that causes transformation. Unfortunately, you know, people don't see coaching, you know, beyond, you know, executive coach, right, you know, you have an executive that's deemed to be not a great leader. So, you know, give him, you know, an executive coach, so that, you know, he can brush up on his leadership skills and, you know, maybe show up better, you know, with his or her direct reports. You know, that's what people think about coaching is this remedial thing, you know, and, you know, you take a step forward, and you say, oh, wait a minute. You know, it's particularly from a leadership development perspective. If you offer group coaching, right, group coaching to individual contributors before they had the privilege of leading others. That's something different, and virtually nobody's doing that today. Right? People don't realize that that's something that can be offered. That's something that should be offered. A lot of it's on the coaches themselves, they go right to the executive because they know, they go right to the business owner. When I get it from a coach, that's what I'm gonna work with, because that's what pays the bills. So, but you're coaching for like a transformation. You know, one of the things I've said for years is, you know, the leadership development I've seen, you know, that's given a brand scholars to sales professionals call that leadership development to turn a buck. They say, alright, well, we'll give our sales professionals leadership development training, and you know, they're going to start selling 25% more, and this is great for the bottom line and makes all the sense. But in any given company, most companies are, you know, they're not sales professionals. Yeah, how about leadership development, to change a culture to really go in there and change the culture much like, you know, I just said the other day, Major League Baseball, right, has this farm system, right? And, you know, they decided to build their farm system, you know, because they want to compete consistently at the high level, you know, in five to seven years. You know, what I think companies should be doing today in terms of leadership and culture, is build their farm system, who's their farm systems, individual contributors that are out of college, out of graduate school, that aren't leading people that leading one soul you know, yet. It's the people who put through group coaching program for leadership development, you know, in a year format, and see, like, wow, these people are going to now be operating in a different level. And oh, by the way, prepared to lead others, once they're given the privilege, say, you know, what, I think this person can handle a couple of direct reports. But you know, what, I think she can handle her own team, or this one, you know, yes, team tomorrow, department, right, and entire department in two years from now. So, these are the kinds of things that nobody is doing, right? You know, people are promoted for reasons other than their, we think they're going to be a great leader. I mean, to me, people don't even know where leadership is, right? Leadership is a battery of competencies, a battery of dozens of different competencies. But people confuse leadership for, you know, as being a subject matter expert, because you're the kind of you know, in the company, well, then we need to promote you, you know, you're the greatest marketer, well then we need to promote you, that is necessarily mean, you're going to be a great leader of other people. That confusion of leadership and excellence, is, you know, I think what's gotten us down a wrong path, you know, and from a corporate perspective, at the very least. Tim 27:30When you think about it that way, and touching on a few of the points that you've brought up. Leadership is a battery of competencies. Yes, nd many different people with many different styles, different personalities, different backgrounds are going to deliver and emulate and express those competencies in very, very different ways. The competency is the outcome, it's not the way we get there. It's the ability to do something, it's not that you have to paint by number to do it a certain way. You have to find your way to do that. And, well, I think it's, you know, you'd said earlier that you can have groups that come together, and they like their job. And often, I mean, I just finished two more rapid normings, though, over the last couple of weeks. And I teach this, this portion called, The Wheel, where we have to talk about the six things that we have to identify as part of the team that we have to be talking about with employees and whatnot, so that they feel stable, who we are, what do we do? What do we care about today? Who's doing what? How do we behave? And why are we the team that's going to do it? And that's drawn from the work of Pat Lencioni. The issue and what Pat didn't touch on, is that everybody needs to connect to those things individually. Who are we as a team? It's a mix of people and histories and all this, why does that matter to me, and it's gonna be very different than why it matters to you. What do we do? And what do we care about? Why do those two things matter to me? And that's going to be very different than it matters to somebody else? What's our code of behaviour on? What's the role division and how we're aligning the work? And why are leaders believe in us? And why are those things important to me? Why do they make me feel whole when I'm in the workplace, and then take the work as a leader and as a leader of people, we have to coach this and mentor people into it. Do I both know and foster in everybody on my team a connection with the work not just the task, not just the paycheck, but what we're doing. And it doesn't have to be a deep connection in the sense of, you know, I'm a sanitary professional that goes around and picks up garbage. We can laugh at something like that. But for people that do that, and they do it long term, they can connect to other things. I like being outside. I like the movement. I like big, heavy machinery. I like getting a glimpse into people's lives. I like to earn a paycheck. I like to do a job that disgusts everybody else. It could be different for everyone else. Jeff 29:54It doesn't make sense to you. And that's part of what Marcus says too, like it doesn't have to sense. Tim 29:58Yes. What's the connection?Jeff 29:59Absolute sense to the individual. You know, and I'm glad you mentioned Patrick Lencioni, too. And we've talked, you know, in this podcast, you know, I mentioned John Maxwell, we mentioned Patrick Lencioni mentioned Marcus Buckingham, you know, there's a theme here that I want the audience, you know, today's audience to listen to and say, understand that there's not this one thought leader that you just read the one author, right? There's so much truth in it, you start reading out and like I said, nerd out, on all of these authors, because there's going to be truths in there that you can apply directly to your career, right? And really, you don't just read it to get through it– Tim 30:38Read it for application. Where's the tool?  Jeff 30:43Right. Exactly. You read it for application. You know, how can I get better? Right? That's the screen. Like, how can I draw conclusions to that? And I think that's really where, you know, I want people to understand that how do you replace the void that comes from not binge-watching television shows, then from not, you know, watching cable news, social media. Yes, get a coach. But start your own self-development, start your own curriculum, you become an expert in leadership by reading a leadership book a month, and I encourage you many different authors. And just work with it. Like, you know, I could never give away my books, because I have all my notes in them, reminding me of a situation, Tim 31:25I was talking to somebody the other day about audible, and that I tend to buy the audible book and listen and buy the book. I buy both because I want the expedience of and the kind of listening experience of the audible book. But then I want to be able to go back, make notes, extract text, do all of those things with and have the tactile thing of having that reference material. I have an eclectic mix of books on my shelf. And I have a little spot that's for the ones that haven't earned their place yet. And every one of those books are books that I go back to again, and again and again because they are proper reference material. But an interesting thing I was going to bring up that, again, went back to what you were saying before, businesses often hire these trainers to come in. And that's really about adhering to a process and a certain, you know, paint-by-number approach, certain methodology. If a person is going to make use of that, and that can be good things coming into that too, or they're going to read things or whatever. As you said something earlier, something crystallized for me. As coaches, we're not there necessarily to help them learn to be leaders. In a way we're there to help them unlearn to be leaders. They've got to unlearn all of the useless stuff. And I like using the word fluency, get them fluent about themselves, how they want to be how they are today. So, that you can see the gaps that they have to go searching to fill. In a sense, they have to go, you know, if you're going to fill your toolbox, well know what tools you're short of, or know why you have each tool in the toolbox and make sure that it's you know, there's a place for everything and everything in its place. But that toolbox will be specific to you and your craft, and how you handle the tools, and how you approach the work. So, help them unlearn to be able to learn. Help them get fluent to be able to seek, you know, and that to me is is so critical when it comes to be the difference between you know, these program coaches who are largely trainers, they're going through a paint-by-number piece. I used to teach meeting skills and so I was very good at a very formalized agenda. And I ever used it, especially in my line of work, I now just have a list of outcomes, say, here's where we're going to get. And I've got a general approach in mind. But anticipate I will be calling an audible because I don't know what I'm dealing with until I'm in dealing with a group, until I'm in dealing with people, then I will start where they are, and I will craft for what they need. Not start with my agenda and my method, because otherwise, I'm not there for them. I'm there to deliver a commodity and that's not how I work. Jeff 34:09Yeah, no that's absolutely right. And I think, you know, it's understanding that difference between training and coaching. Like training as a delivery, coaching is a journey. As a coach, you want to be able to guide people through that journey. And it's a very, very different thing. And again, you know, what's great, what can be great about training, or we can be great about going to a conference is if it starts that journey, if it's a catalyst, right? It's just saying, hey, you know what, you know, I am going to commit to your meeting X amount of books on leadership, you know, this year, or I'm going to commit to going through a coaching program, you know, to find out like, how I can lead better, you know, because it's not only is it individualistic, it's also you know, based on the company itself, like you know, what's going to work you know, in, you know, your role today, you know, may not work, those leadership skills may not work in the same company in a different role. Right? So, that's why it's always this kind of journey to say, alright, you know, what got me here isn't necessarily what's going to get me there. And is that thing, that's what I tell people, you know, that the concept of building your leadership skills to the fidelity that you built, you know, whatever subject you went to school for, right? You know, you could be, you know, the best accountant in America, right? or Canada. Right? But, you know, what have you done to build your leadership skills to be at that level, that same level, right, you know, people think I need to get continuing education, so I can keep my project management certification, and they're, like, not even paying attention to it, you know, they're sitting there for, you know, the three days and they got, they got it. This is not that this is like really getting serious about it. And it's serious about the craft of leadership, but not taking yourself too seriously. Tim 35:57Well, the craft of self-development. Jeff 36:00You're right, it's not an I'm better than you scenario. Not in any way. It is, I've decided that I want to be a better teammate, or I want to be a better leader, you know, I want to be just grow to be, you know, a better version of myself. I mean, I know that that's, you know, can be sort of like that trait overused term. But the fact is, I mean, how many people are actually actively trying that and again, I had an event here in New Jersey, a couple of months ago, and I talked to it and one of the slides I threw up was a stock ticker, right? Your leadership development journey is going to look like a stock price, the up-downs, and hopefully, it's trending upward. But like, it's not about perfection, either. Like, you know, people think about, like, if I'm going to be a leader, like, you know, I have to be perfect, it's not about perfect, it's about trying to get better. And that's where people, that's where coaching gets into you, we never possibly ever get that from a leadership development training. And for those people in leadership positions now, that thought, like, oh they were doing right, you know, by providing this training, and then they're frustrated, because, you know, you spent all that money and it didn't work. Think about getting coaching for your team, getting that done, because that's really very, very important. Tim 37:17To wrap up here, the distinct differences, when you're realizing that coaching is the modality, not necessarily trained. Training is information-based. It's content, not context, coaching puts it in the context of the individual, and you're from New Jersey, but I often think of Beantown when I think about, I know, it's not super close, but anyway, it's closer than I am. Jeff 37:41Close enough. Same general type of person in North East. Tim 37:43But there's that scene in, in Goodwill Hunting, when he said, you know, you're gonna be sitting back, and you're gonna be looking at all your student loans, and you're gonna have a $400,000 education or something, and you're gonna realize that you could have learned all this with a buck 75 and late charges from the library. And, you know, information is not the problem here. And I've actually run into groups that come to me and say, Hey, we want to want you to put together a Leadership University for us. And I'm like, go on LinkedIn. Like you don't need me to generate content, the content is out there. What you need is you need people to learn how to steer their lives, to be able to source the right content, apply it well, and do it all so that both they win and their family wins and their career benefits and that they're in balance. And that we're not out of whack here, anybody can pick up a new idea and try to apply it as a bright, shiny thing, and sometimes destroy themselves doing it. Right? So– Jeff 38:50Absolutely, you know, and that's the thing too, like, people don't want to go to school anymore. Like they went to school already. And you know, something, you know, whether you finish in high school, college, graduate school or beyond, right? And then in corporations were given them more school, that's what training is, this is school again. You know, again, not only does it not work, people really don't want that. But like when you get them a coach, right? And again, you got to do your due diligence on coaches, right? If you're a business owner, or an executive thinking about getting a coach for your team, you know, and that coach has never had a coach before runaway because that tells you that they don't believe, you know, in the process of coaching, because if they did, you know, and they're asking you to spend money, because if they did, you know, they would have had coaches themselves. I know you have had several coaches, I have had coaches and continually like, you know, working with two guys right now, you know, and again, it's again to continue to improve like the, you know, the person that's got coached by me and 2023, you know, is a different coaching experience for those that are working with me right now in 2024. You know, and will be in 2025. The point is continually getting better at the craft of coaching, right, you know, so people need to understand that as well. I don't know in terms of that, again, that training piece, if people remember nothing else, and again, to all the folks that are listening to provide training, God bless you, the training does not work. I've been on the training end, both end up training, delivering training and receiving training, it just doesn't work. And coaching does– Tim 40:23Just, you know, ask anybody who spent money on a training scenario to go out and anonymously poll their group. And you'll find that some people, man, it was great, it's the best thing they've ever went through. And often the leader will have gone through the training, and think that this is just the bee's knees. Well, the reason was, the leader was ready for that piece of information at that time, and it was very useful for them. But that doesn't guarantee that 90% of anybody else in that call is ready or can use that information. The information doesn't steer it, you've got to start where people are. And as you say, it's the journey, and the ability to go through that journey.  Jeff 40:58And too, the content is there like and that's one thing we talked about, I just want to kind of give the opinions here the content, there's been content, oh, just since 1990, right? Like how much leadership development content is there. But yet the workplace still sucks. People will hear Simon Sinek, “Leaders Eat Last,” and say this is the greatest thing in the world, and not behave in any way of how he's describing but they listened to his Tim 41:22Got the certification, check. Jeff 41:25Right, they showed it to their team and say now that they quote him at a town hall. Tim 41:29Bought everybody a copy. Jeff 41:30That in reality, they're not acting like him. So, again, the content is always there, you can go out there and learn yourself, you know, you get an education yourself that self-learning, whether it is you know, the TED Talk videos on YouTube, go on YouTube, search, leadership development, get the books, but again, the only way that it's really going to kind of move the needle for you and your team is through coaching. Tim 41:53Yeah, if you've hold the row for that particular seed to take plant. Take route, here we go. So, we're going to wrap up, I want to thank you very much for opening up to us. I love where we're headed. I think we're gonna have to book another one because I think we've got lots more to talk about, I think we could dive deep on some of these issues. For sure. We've got a couple of traditions here, as we close up and people who have heard these before, the first thing I want you to tackle. So, we have a question from Rita, who joined us last episode. And this is gonna get bombed at you. But don't worry, you're gonna have a chance to bomb a question at the next person. Rita asks, what is the advice you would give your newly minted self if you were just entering the workforce? And you wish you had had that advice when you started? Jeff 42:43Absolutely, you know, I think about this a lot. And from my perspective, it is really get around the right people. Now, explain what we explained at the beginning of the podcast is getting around people of who've achieved where you want to go. And if you're starting to hear people in your workplace that are negative, you know, just politely kind of distance yourself from them, you're not better than them, you just don't need to hear negative things. That's exactly what I would tell my younger self is that, again, leadership development is not about being better than your coworker. It's not about being better than your neighbour, it's about being the best version of yourself and adding value to other people. So, that's exactly what I would say, just get around the right people, get away from negative people Tim 43:27Choose that focus. Jeff 43:29Put yourself on that focus.  Tim 43:33Yeah, right. Love it. If you were to have a wish, for anybody who is listening that they're going to take away from this podcast, what would you wish for people be? Jeff 43:44Honestly, I wish people, you know, to disengage from all the negativity that is out there in social media in 24/7 news, it is not serving you guys in any way, shape, or form. Those things are there to honestly make money for the advertisers that advertise on there. So, you know, if you can just remove yourself, you know, live like it's 1980. Right, you know, and again, not hiding your head in the sand. I'm not suggesting that, but you just don't need to take in this kind of content. And it will it will change your world. No question about it. Tim 44:17Without going down this path. But we can talk about it a little later. We just had an announcement here in Alberta that the public school system now is going to ban social media apps and personal devices during the school day. Jeff 44:29That's awesome. There's a couple of governors here that are doing the same and we're going to try to see what we can do in New Jersey for that because it's– Tim 44:36We've got the data now yeah, we know what's we'd like to think of ourselves as adults but we are learning beings and we are just as prone to that. Okay. If I was to ask you a question you want answered from the next leadership, visionary, what would it be?  Jeff 44:56Sure, absolutely. So, I would say, you know, what, do you want to be known for as your leadership legacy? Tim 45:03I love that question. I think I would actually add on to that and say, what do you want to be known to as your leadership legacy? And how can we help other people find out what they want to be known in their leadership? You know, how can we actually create that for others? But I am very curious to ask that question. In both phases. If you don't mind, I'm going to tack that one on because like, it's a great one.  Jeff 45:24No, attack that on, absolutely. Tim 45:27Jeff, it's been a real pleasure to have you on the show today. And I hope you had a lot of fun.  Jeff 45:33Tim, it's been great. And I can't wait to come back because I feel it percolating, like another 30-40 minutes of, you know, a completely different interview. And I'm looking forward to when we can do that. Tim 45:44Oh, no. 100%. Well, let's look more for Jeff in the feed. And to all of you out there listening. Thank you very much for taking the time to invest in yourself. And Jeff, we'll see you again real soon. Jeff 45:53All right. Take care, Tim. Tim 45:53Thank you so much for listening to Sweet on Leadership. If you found today's podcast valuable, consider visiting our website and signing up for the companion newsletter. You can find the link in the show notes. If like us, you think it's important to bring new ideas and skills into the practice of leadership, please give us a positive rating and review on Apple Podcasts. This helps us spread the word to other committed leaders. And you can spread the word too, by sharing this with your friends, teams and colleagues. Thanks again for listening, and be sure to tune in in two weeks time for another episode of Sweet on Leadership. In the meantime, I'm your host, Tim Sweet, encouraging you to keep on leading.

Returning guest, former Macalester College president  and current Faculty at Harvard School of Ed, Dr Brian Rosenberg on how he works with ALU...what it is and it's mission. African Leadership University is a network of tertiary institutions operating in Mauritius and Rwanda, offering bachelor's degree programs

Returning guest, former Macalester College president  and current Faculty at Harvard School of Ed, Dr Brian Rosenberg on how he works with ALU...what it is and it's mission. African Leadership University is a network of tertiary institutions operating in Mauritius and Rwanda, offering bachelor's degree programs

In this episode, I got the opportunity to interview Dr. Tim Kiruhi the current Vice Chancellor at International Leadership University. So much insight, inspiration, and lessons . Simply amazing. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kngeorge/message

Admiral Cedric Pringle is the guest on this episode. Admiral Pringle serves as the 25th President of the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA). NNOA is an organization dedicated to supporting the Sea Services in recruiting, professional development, and retention of a diverse officer corps that reflects the demographics of our nation. Cedric talks about the amazing work that NNOA is doing with bringing STEM to school children and we discuss how impactful it would be if more positive role models would get involved in bringing STEM to middle schools and high schools around the country to provide more opportunities for people to see diverse paths to use these fields in their lives. Cedric shares some amazing insights from his prestigious Naval career and although he prided himself on being by the the book, he liked to remind people that when the book was wrong there is a recourse to change the book. Cedric gave us some good examples of creating a space where you could make mistakes and take risks to grow as individuals, but he also hinted at some steps that helped build the trust of the team if you listen closely. He reminds us that excellence is a journey. Admiral Pringle models a great example of an appropriate way to resist a challenge from someone senior to us in a personal story in his humanitarian work in Haiti. Each story Cedric shares is done so to help build us all up the same way he has built many of his sailors and marines over the years!  Cedric Pringle is a retired rear admiral following a 34-and-a-half-year career in the U.S. Navy. His service culminated as the 31st commandant of National War College at National Defense University. During his distinguished career, he led joint, combined, multinational, and interagency organizations, both at sea and ashore, across all aspects of defense, including full spectrum operations, strategic planning, crisis management, and congressional affairs.  Admiral Pringle earned a BS in Economics from the University of South Carolina, an MS in Financial Management from the Naval Postgraduate School, and an MA in National Security Strategy from the Naval War College. He also completed executive courses in Strategic Thinking at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, Leading Innovation at the Naval Postgraduate School, and the Leadership University for Humanity course with Korn Ferry.  Resources: National Naval Officers Associations - Navy, Marines, & Coast Guard  https://nnoa.org/ Center for Oceanographic Research in the South Pacific - University of Concepcion, Chile  http://www.copas.cl/eng/       

Steven Dossou Featured on CBS, NBC, FOX, Steven is an Inspirational TEDx Speaker, Author, co-founder of Leadership University, Owner of Sail Force Catalyst a platform dedicated to empowering speakers and coaches. Steven has impacted thousands of lives on a global scale, nicknamed "Action Man", he is viewed by his peers as a charismatic visionary who undoubtedly believes in unleashing the human potential by inspiring people to break their boundaries and redefine their limits. As a living testimony, Steven has followed his dreams and recreated a new path by elevating himself from humble beginnings in his country of origin (Togo-West Africa) to leadership and impactful roles on a global platform. Contact Info: info@stevendossou.com https://sailforce.site/coach-orator

Are fear, self-doubt and low self-esteem holding you back from reaching your goals? How can public speaking change your life for the better?Meet Steven Dossou!Steven is a Motivational and Inspirational TEDx Speaker, Author, co-founder of Leadership University, Owner of Sail Force Catalyst and the creator of Afri Money University.Steven has impacted thousands of lives on a global scale, Nicknamed "Action Man", he is viewed by his peers as a charismatic visionary who undoubtedly believes in unleashing the human potential by inspiring people to break their boundaries and redefine their limits. As a living testimony, Steven has recreated a new path by elevating himself from humble beginnings in his country of origin (Togo-West Africa) to leadership and impactful roles on a global platform.Listen as Steven shares his extremely tough and arduous journey that led to him breaking through barriers and impacting people around the world through using revolutionary technology to form public speaking communities.Steven authored the book, "Be Transformed - How To Live Free Of Self-Doubt And Low Self-Esteem". It details a 10-weeks program and some NLP techniques necessary to embark you on a journey destined to provoke immediate change in your desired area of life.Key Points and Time Stamps:[00:06:02] - The extreme challenges Steven faced when pursuing his dream[00:09:21] - How to fall in love with sales[00:10:22] - Criteria for career success[00:13:21] - How to maximize your talent and reach your full potential[00:16:13] - How to find purpose in your pain[00:16:57] - What to do when you've hit rock bottom[00:22:06] - How Steven founded Leadership Universities in Bali, Indonesia[00:23:01] - Leadership University's curriculum on Public Speaking, Leadership Skills and collaborating with universities in Asian countries[00:24:26] - Doing your best even when no one is watching[00:27:04] - How Steven's vision of teaching public speaking shapes all his decisions[00:27:38] - Founding public speaking communities in Turkey[00:31:31] - The impact of exposure when chasing your dreams and pursuing your goals[00:34:21] - Steven's revolutionary technology to build a public speaking community. This transformational weekly Live Show will be broadcast on social media[00:37:18] - Youth advocacy and how public speaking can empower youth[00:38:37] - Man's 3 toughest demons to break free from and conquerAdditional Resources:"Be Transformed - How To Live Free Of Fear, Self-Doubt And Low Self-Esteem", by Steven Dossou.Connect with Steven:Website: https://www.stevendossou.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-dossou-3623b5106/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven_dossou/?hl=enConnect with me:WebsiteFacebookInstagramLeave a rating and a review:Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transforming-lives-through-public-speaking-w-steven/id1614151066?i=1000618351199Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5IHvbNcxeZIqaDN9shbdZlYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9537_iwlNkM

The African Leadership University has started a revolution in higher education. It's more than just another brick in the wall. It is transforming higher learning in Africa to produce its future leaders. For its work, it was named one of the Global Top 50 Most Innovative Companies in 2019. To talk to us about this extraordinary achievement and how it became a possibility, Anne Pratt invites Provost Dr. Nhlanhla Thwala to the show. Dr. Thwala is the best example of what he's trying to produce at ALU. Coming from a background of poverty himself, he used his abilities to rise to the top and ultimately build an illustrious career as a leader and educator. Join in and learn how Africa can leverage the talents and resources that are already available within it to emerge as a prosperous continent in the future world stage, how young people can take on the responsibility of leadership in these turbulent times, and how ALU is making its contribution to this revolution.Love the show? Subscribe, rate, review & share! https://anne-pratt.com

Guest: Fred Swaniker | Founder at African Leadership University See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Fred Swaniker | Founder at African Leadership University See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Professor Mihalis Chasomeris Associate Professor  Graduate School of Business and Leadership  University of KwaZulu-Natal  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Suzie Lewis is the Managing Director at Transform for Value and host of the podcast "Let's Talk Transformation." She's passionate about connecting people, their potential, collective intelligence and equipping organizations to get the best out of individuals and teams. Her quest is to constantly bridge the gap between digital and human and create more inclusive and collaborative cultures in organizations. Learn more about Suzie here. Learn more about The Passionistas Project here. Full Transcript: Passionistas: Hi, and welcome to The Passionistas Project Podcast, where we talk with women who are following their passions to inspire you to do the same. We're Amy and Nancy Harrington, and today we're talking with Suzie Lewis, the Managing Director at Transform for Value and the host of the podcast, Let's Talk Transformation. She's passionate about connecting people, their potential collective intelligence and equipping organizations to get the best out of individuals and teams. Her quest is to constantly bridge the gap between digital and human, and create more inclusive and collaborative cultures in organizations. So please welcome to the show, Suzie Lewis. Suzie: Hi, I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you very much for inviting me. Passionistas: Thanks so much, Suzie. Thanks for your time today. So what's the one thing you're most passionate about? Suzie: People. I think people and connecting people, which is where the unlocking potential comes from. I worked in an organization for 20 years and I just saw so much wasted potential or untapped potential. And I just thought, wow, we've got to do something about this. And I come from a family of very strong women. And I'm a big believer in sistership and we've always had each other's backs and I've always had that privilege, to have that space. And I thought if I don't create it for others, I'm missing a trick and I'm not putting myself at the service of creating a more inclusive and equitable world. But I work mainly in organizations. I'm also a cellist in an orchestra. I have been playing the cello for a very long time, over 30 years, and I love the analogy between the orchestra, and what I'm trying to create in society. Essentially, each person comes with that individual potential, but it's essentially about the collective result and how each person contributes to that and how the diversity of profiles and the diversity of capabilities, how it brings to the force something completely different that is harmonious. Even if the way towards that harmony is not harmonious. So I'm passionate about people. I love connecting people and I love playing in orchestra for the same reason. It's about listening intently and deliberately to what's being played, but also what isn't being played. And I think in organizations and in human relationships, it's exactly the same. We listen to reply and not to understand. So my big quest is to democratize access to these dialogue skills and for people to have different conversations and more courageous conversations in the workplace. And I think women bring something innately to that table. So I'm a big believer in the emotional layer of organizational culture and how we unwrap that and make it more normalized in the way people with. Passionistas: So let's take a step back. Tell us about those amazing women from your early life and where you grew up, what your childhood was like. Suzie: Basically today I'm based in France, but I grew up in UK and those fabulous women where my mom and my three sisters and my dad's great as well, but we had this safe space and it was predominantly discussion on equity, and how to create different spaces. My parents were both doctors and researchers, and also spent a lot of time counseling people. And we've always had these discussions on the table explicitly around healthy challenging, listening to others and making sure each voice is heard. And my grandma, who is actually my role model for courage and confidence. She was just incredible. And she worked in a time, unfortunately for her, when women didn't have the empowerment we have today. My goodness, if she'd have had the empowerment we have, and she always used to say that to us. Oh, if I had your opportunities, I'd be doing something different, something bigger, something, but she was already big for me. That was the inspiration and it runs through the family. And when I did my studies and I started studying cultural identity, as well as French and international economics, and I thought, okay, there's something in here about how the world works. And there's something in here, where I feel like make a difference with my innate skill set, which was, I just love discovering people, and I just really want to understand what their potential is and what that means for me, but also for where we work and how we can scale that if you like across what's happening. Particularly today in the digital age, where what keeps us relevant is our innately human qualities. So humility, creativity, imagination, which is where we come to my quest for different types of leadership in organizations, but also elsewhere. And then I've always been parts of orchestras and charities and associations. And I'm currently part of an association to get more girls into the tech world and into stem. And it's a big, important piece for me, partly because of what women bring to the table, but just parity in. Equal opportunities and getting people to have real conversations because otherwise we just skirt around these issues and we just don't go there. And I want people, particularly women to know that it's possible. How many times have people said to me, it's not possible. You can't do that. No, you don't have those skillsets. And I've always thought, well, don't tell me it's impossible. Cause it's not. That's always been my driver. And that came from my grandma and my parents and my sisters. And my sisters are my three best friends. And we have this great space where we're still helping each other. We were all in different countries. And it taught me how to be humble. It taught me how to ask for help. And it taught me how to think about how I want to show up. And I think those questions are fundamental and they don't get asked enough. And I just had so much fun. I think once you have that type of relationship, you can have fun doing really serious quests. I found my tribe, if you like. And I decided that building tribes was the way forward. I remember when I moved to France and I was working in France, and I thought, this system is really different. I'm finding it quite constrained, quite rigid. So what do I? I either sit and complain about it or I go back to UK or I think about how I can change it. And I thought, no, that's going to be my challenge. I'm going to look at how I can change organizational culture and create the space that we work in. I worked in like a manufacturing production environment, very masculine, but I just thought I'm going to take that as an opportunity. So I'm not going to sit and think, oh, there's only 17% of women. And I thought, okay, how can I get like-minded people and make this an inclusive discussion and move forward with it? I just found some of what I was seeing so unfair. And I thought, okay, if I stay and if I just don't do anything, I'm condoning it. And I refuse to do that. So I went and found as many people as possible and created small communities within the organization. And we may change. And clearly, you know, large organizations, you can't change everything, but it's very satisfying to watch people have light bulb moments and then suddenly their potential just explodes. And that's just brilliant. And I think, wow, I thought you might do this, or I thought you might do that. And they surprise themselves. And I think that's a very satisfying thing to see. Passionistas: Now is this the industry you're talking about, is this the aeronautical industry? Suzie: Yeah. Passionistas: So tell us a little bit about working in that industry. What did you do? Suzie: It's very interesting. I basically started as a lean expert on the supply chain and they trained me in that. And I do like operations, and I like doing, and I like seeing the impact of what I'm doing and there's no better way than lean on a production line. You see it, you see it coming in, coming off, you see what's happening. But as we started to put lean in place, I thought, okay, how are we going to lead this? This is quite a different way of working. And we set up the leadership academy and we started looking at all the issues, challenges, but also the opportunities that were coming up from that. And I got more and more involved in the HR system where I was working and I thought, I don't really understand this, and I don't think it's  unlocking potential. So I went to join HR. So I went to join HR to understand what was going on and how I could make a difference and how they worked and what their mindset was. I think the best thing about where I worked was, yes, it's quite a traditional sort of industrial manufacturing environment, and the mindset goes with that. But I never had any issue going and asking for what I wanted. Sometimes they said no. But more often than not, they said, if you're willing to try it and it's your responsibility, then off you go. And maybe I just had great bosses or people who were willing to take a chance on me, but, you know, I did have bosses who said no. And then my thought process was okay, so how else can I make a difference? So I started as a lean expert and then I went into HR and then I got hooked. I got hooked on, why are we only talking about process? What's going on here? Why aren't we talking about the emotional layer? So I stayed in HR for 10 years. I thought if I want to change, what's going on here, I need to understand the operation. So I went into HR operations and I did HR business partnering, and I ran the recruitment services and we set up the shared services for recruitment. And during that time I looked at the recruitment process and the talent we were bringing in and thought this is not very diverse. So I said, can we do an experiment on diversifying recruitment? So that got me thinking about how I could think outside the box and how I could get the organization to think outside the box. And then I went into take on a position as head of diversity and inclusion because I thought, okay, this is a big subject. And for me, it is the subject for competitive advantage. And it's not just HR tick box exercise, and it's not just how many women we've got or how many other minority groups we've got. This is about people. And this is about creating an environment where people can thrive as opposed to strive. And because the culture was quite command and control in terms of leadership, there were quite a lot of people's suffering and I could see that. And they couldn't see a way out. And I felt that it was HR's job, but also every leader's job to look into their teams and have that discussion, which of course is quite a big ask because it's a difficult discussion to have. So I basically took diversity inclusions that I want to put it up with strategic objectives, culture, change, business objectives, leadership. And then we moved into a time when we wanted to build an internal leadership university. And they asked me if I would like to do that. And I was just thrilled with that project. It was a fab project, but there was four of us running it, so that was a collective management thing. And the more I got into these activities, I thought 1) I have a massive volume proposition here. 2) I'm seeing the impact of people co-creating together and seeing what that can do to organizational culture wellbeing, but also productivity. And 3) organizations are missing a trick if they don't want to look beyond what they do today. So we did that and we basically looked at the whole thing, organizational design, but also how to create a platform for human transformation. What does it mean? How do people learn. How do we interact with the business? How do you support people on the job day in, day out? And how do you equip organizations with a coaching culture? A culture of more lifelong learning, as opposed to I sit in a classroom for two days. And then, yeah, I do remember something they told me about emotional intelligence and how to communicate. Which is why of course change stalls because they don't practition it. They don't practition what I call the human systems of an organization, which is, you know, the human element. And now we're in the digital age where everything's about ecosystems. I just felt really strongly that if we don't equip people to understand the human systems, it's just going to get worse because we can collaborate with online tools and we can have virtual meetings, but the human connection is the way we're wired. So we built the Leadership University and that was one of my favorite favorite projects ever. And we built communities of practice and we went from 900 members to 12,000 and I was just like, wow, what can we do here? This is so cool! The best thing was the other people that thought it was so cool, which meant that we got momentum in the organization. Some people didn't believe in it, but, you know, fair enough. That's humans, isn't it. You don't always get a hundred percent unanimity. But it was great. And I got massively challenged on my ideas and we created new ideas. I just felt that we unlocked so much potential in the groups we were in that we took it to the talent management and said, you know, what do we do with this? And then digital transformation came along and we got more and more tools and more and more speed of change. And then I decided that I was a bit bored of the big machine and it was too rigid and there were reasons why I couldn't do things that were outside of reasons for my competence, it was either political or it wasn't the right time or budgetary. And so I decided that I would step out of the organization and do exactly the same thing on my own, because I also wanted to see other organizations, other industries. I wanted to work with charities. I wanted to work with start up. I wanted to work with SMEs. So that's what I did. It's quite a bold move actually, now that I think about it. I probably didn't think about it enough, which is why I just did it. But yeah. So I stepped out with the organization and I set up my own business. And I thought, what do I call it? Transformation was clear. Value was clear. I thought, okay, well, don't overcomplicate this. I'll just call myself Tranform for Value because that's basically what I want to do. And behind that, it's about unlocking potential. So it's about transforming with a deliberate intention to create human value.. Passionistas: While you were getting people to think more about diversity and inclusion, and while you were creating this university, what was the impact that you saw on the company and through those initiatives that you helped create? Suzie: I think the first impact is always engagement. You have engagement scores and things like that. But you also have people coming to you when you think that's why I do what I do. When people come with, yeah, I wanted to leave that job, but now I'm staying. Or I never thought that was possible, and I never thought I could lead that. And I saw that scale. I saw people getting excited. I saw top management asking more about it. I saw them wanting to understand it. I saw it as being able to open doors at levels where I didn't think we would be able to. And I just think that just makes it a more attractive place to work. And you can see people honing in on that. You suddenly find out or people contact you, "I hear you're doing this, I've seen you're doing this, I've seen the community does this." And you're thinking, wow, okay, I don't really know who you are. Which is brilliant because that's what we're aiming at is to federate and make powerful communities. So I saw a lot of communities being built. I also saw lots of room to maneuver, to bring in new ideas, whether that be in the leadership space or in the cultural space. An open box for experimentation, if you like. I think the hardest part about experimentation is when you go from proof of concept to industrialized idea, because then it becomes part of the organization. That's almost a different discussion. So I saw the difference in that. I saw the difference in the way I lead, and I saw the difference in the way the teams were feeling and innovating and defending the project or taking the project forward. When I was in the operational area, we did a lot of change based on lean on the operations. And I remember, after 18 months, we did a retrospective on what's changed. And the biggest change they'd seen was engagement and happiness at the workplace. At the time we didn't have metrics, we had mood boards and things like that where we didn't have sort of people analytics, but it was incredibly satisfying that that was a collective observation, was that even though this didn't work in that didn't work, we actually wants to come to work everyday. Which I just think is just so satisfying. And it was interesting. I had somebody contact me a couple of months ago who worked for me 10 years ago. And just saying, "I still remember that day when the team did that, and I'm now doing it with my team. And it still really works." So that for me is the type of legacy that I want to leave, and I want us to leave as a collective. Because I think, you know, particularly platforms like Passionistas and things like that, they are so inspiring and you can unlock so much potential without even knowing it. That's why I'm a big believer in collective intelligence. And I think, these words have become buzzwords now, haven't they? Like collective intelligence and lean and culture change and employee experience. But experience is so important because it's the human experience. And I think we need to de-mystify it, and we need to operationalize it. And that's partly what my podcast is about. My podcast is around breaking things down into actionable chunks of learning so that people can go and do something with it and try out what works for them, and basically build the confidence to actually challenge the status quo in the organization. And I think emotional intelligence is becoming more and more and more key in the way we work. And I feel that women don't voice that enough, that they innately bring something to that table. I also like to work with groups of women to just turn the volume up on that voice. I think every time I've done that, we're all in agreement. It's just not formalized. The volume isn't loud enough on what women can bring to the table. And it has been ever thus for me. But it's getting stronger and it's getting louder. And this was a conversation I had with my mum. When I was 10 or 11. And we've been discussing it ever since. So yeah. I just think I can add something to that debate. I can make a difference and however, small, it may be in society, if I can make it bigger within what I'm doing, then I'm hoping it will just add into the mix. That's why I don't think it's impossible is the statement I would accept. Ever. Passionistas: We're Amy and Nancy Harrington, and you're listening to The Passionistas Project Podcast and our interview with Suzie Lewis. To learn more about her mission to help organizations and leaders understand human systems so that they can create sustainable change and bring about cultural transformation, visit transformforvalue.com. If you're enjoying this interview and would like to help us continue creating inspiring content, please consider becoming a patron by visiting thepassionistasproject.com/podcast and clicking on the patron button. Even $1 a month can help us continue our mission of inspiring women to follow their passions. Now here's more of our interview with Suzie. So with Transform for Value, what types of clients do you work with and why are they seeking you out? Suzie: So I worked with large organizations. I also work with governmental institutions. I work with charities and I work with startups. Which is great because I wanted a massive mix of clients. They seek me out because they've understood that something needs to change in their organizational culture. It's either through additional transformation lense. So we need to be more agile. Our process needs to be more agile. We need to understand innovation creativity more. Or it's from a leadership perspective. We know that we need to change our leadership models because this one is no longer working. So can you help us 1) understand what that means and 2) co-create it so that we can create sustainable change. Or they come to me more specifically for coaching. So how can I either show up as a leader differently? Or I do quite a lot of systemic coaching in groups around what I call human system practitionering. So, you know, how do I create that environment and how can I make it sustainable in terms of behavioral change in my team or in my organization. Passionistas: Is there one success story from your work in this field that really kind of stands out to you as one you're particularly moved by or proud of? Suzie: So, yes is the answer to that. I think there's one success story from inside the organization. Which is the one I spoke about when we decided that we would federate all the women's networks, which brought it to 900 people, and then we decided to make it inclusive. And then we decided we call it Balance for Business to link it to the business, the bottom line. And that went from 900 people to 12,000 in five or six years. And it took on a whole different perception in the organization, but also a whole different impact in terms of what subjects they were dealing with and how they could create a feeling of belonging across sites and countries. So that was a vision for me. And I saw it unfold, which was fab. That was great. And the leadership university was also part of that for me. It was sort of contributing and creating a platform underneath to make it more systemic. And very recently I've been doing some consulting on an inclusion strategy and we've done co-creation from a to zed. And we've gone from discussing strategy and looking at visioning to training all managers in self limiting beliefs, basic coaching skills and psychological safety. And we've just done the whole spectrum. And it's something I've always wanted to put in place outside of the organization where I've worked. And they gave me that opportunity. And it's a fab project. And every time I think about it, fondly, I just think. Wow. How many lives are still being impacted by the fact that we're equipping people for different conversations. We're equipping them to thrive, you know, as opposed to survive. And so many people do just survive in organizations. I'm proud of that because it was the right thing to do. And I'm proud of that because I've got the feedback on the impact it's having. And I'm proud of that because it's creating a different culture, or building on a culture that wasn't quite as explicit as that, on those things in that organization. And I'm interested in a year from now to go back to it and see where they're at. Passionistas: So what are some of the biggest challenges for leaders in the 21st century workplace? Suzie: So my short answer to that would be themselves. Leadership comes from within, doesn't it? And I think particularly now, leaders are having to really understand what they're about in order to be able to deal with the circumstances and lead the uncertainty that's around them. And going inside is quite a difficult conversation with oneself, isn't it? And it's not necessarily something that everybody is used to. So I think there's that for individual leaders. I think then the codes of leadership in an organization are changing very quickly. Where the paradigm is, it shifts. So, you know, the whole "I'll give you the information you need and information is power" type of paradigm has gone with social media and collaborative platforms. And they're now having to move from a sort of managerial, "I'll tell you what to do to" to more of a coaching stance of, "Either let me empower you to take decisions in a more decentralized way, because that's the way we're going to organize our organization," or "I am here to develop you based on your competencies and your potential." And that often means developing you out of my team, but that's okay. So we're moving away from paradigm of talent is mine because it's in my team. Which I think is fabulous because that's what we need to do. But I think it's a quite hard conversation to break those paradigms also on a strong is a leader that doesn't show vulnerability and that knows everything. So I'm being very black and white now, but these are the polarities we're working within. And I think it is hard to turn around and say, "I don't know. What do you think?" Or "I'm not quite sure how to navigate this." I think it's the unwritten codes of organizational cultures around their definition of strong leadership, their attitude to failure and risk, and also their attitude to this discussion around the emotional layer. So challenge doesn't have to be aggressive. It can be healthy and inverted comments. And I just think we're moving from compare and compete to care and collaborate and that care and collaborate means that you have to have an understanding of yourself, and empathy with the understanding of others, and creating an environment where people feel safe enough in their interpersonal relationships to bring things to the table. So I think from a leadership perspective, that's a shift everybody is working on and undergoing, but it's not the way cultures are. So I feel like it's not the way we do things around here. So they're constantly hitting the cultural codes and that's quite a tiring place if you're one of the only ones doing it. So I think it's a wider discussion for particularly top leadership, because what do people do when they want to know what's going to be rewarded and how things work? They look at the top. I think it's a big piece for top leadership, and that's why we need more women in the higher levels of management, as well as the board level, because they bring that discussion. They open that dialogue because they have very different ways of leading. And not just women, but people with more female leadership traits or with a more developed emotional intelligence. And I just think we're back on the inhibitors of learning, aren't we? Ego and fear. And everyone always says to me, there's a lot of fear in organizations. And there is, but there is a lot of courage as well. There's a lot of curiosity and there's a lot of excitement. But you have to go and find it. And I think that's the most exciting thing is going and finding it, in an organization or anywhere else. But I think the leadership challenge is that they have to deliver in a world that is uncertain, but they're not like comfortable in, and they're not quite sure how to go about it. It's a big shift, I think. The circular models and the sort of what data brings with it in terms of decision-making is a big conversation, both for systems and organizations. But also as individual leaders, I get a lot of individual leaders asking me the question, you know, I'm not quite sure what to do with the fact that that I don't know. So that's new conversations for quite a lot of people. Passionistas: And do you find that more and more companies or individuals are seeking to make these changes? Suzie: So, yes, it's the answer to that, but I think there are two categories. The companies that are seeking because they actively and deliberately want to create developmental organizations because that's what they believe in and that's what they want to do. And other companies, because they've been told that that's what they need to do to remain competitive. Either way they need to do it. It's a very different discussion. Passionistas: So how can people work with you at Transform for Value? How do they find you and what can they expect when they work with you? Suzie: They can find me on LinkedIn. They can find me through my website, transformforvalue.com. They can find me on Twitter. They can expect to first discussion because my approach to transformation is holistic. It has to have that systemic view to it, even if it's just an inverted commerce, a two-day workshop, the discussion will always start with what's the strategy, what are the objectives and where does it fit in? And I do that on purpose because I'm a big believer in systems thinking. It comes with the sort of collective intelligence thing. And I do think that particularly in today's world, systems thinking and sense making is key for leadership to come back to your earlier question. So I will always have that discussion. And they'll also get honesty. If I don't think I can help them, I'm going to tell them because you know, I do what I do to make a difference. If I don't think I can make a difference, then I will tell them, I don't think I'm the one for them, but  I will refer them to people I know. But that's important for me. So it's about a holistic discussion. It's about a fit between me and them. If I can't help them, I'll tell them. And I will always be honest about what I think they need, even if it's not what they came to me for. So I think that's important for me that we work within those boundaries. And then hopefully they'll have fun when we do stuff together. Passionistas: Shifting gears a little bit. Tell us about the cello and when you first started to play and why you fell in love with it and why you're in the orchestra? Suzie: Yeah, the cello. I think I was 10. And they came around the schools with all these instruments and they said it was in discovery day. And I heard the person play the cello. And I heard the sound of the cello and I was just like, I want to play that. I want to do that. I was a little bit bewitched by the sound of it. And I thought, wow, I didn't realize how difficult it would be to recreate that sound. But I just fell in love with it. And I thought, this is for me, I really love this instrument. So I asked my parents if I could play. And they said, yeah, we'll hire one thought. And I said okay. And my granddad was a pianist. So we had music in the household and all my sisters played instruments as well. And it was hard. I found it quite hard to learn to play, and it was quite a lot of discipline. And I was like, do I really want to do this? And then I started thinking, okay, well, I'll join an orchestra because that will be really cool to play with other people. So I joined an orchestra when I was about 12, a youth orchestra. And I just, that was it then. Because I think I'd taken the pressure off myself to perform and to get it right. And it was just like, wow, I'm part of something bigger. And I think being part of something bigger than yourself is for me very inspiring, hence what I do and all the communities that we create. So that's what I did. And I just learned so much about people and I had so much fun just being part of a bigger collective and playing and watching myself progress. And then I was quite willing to do my scales and do the practice. And we went on tour with the orchestras and my sister was in the same orchestra and yeah, it was a big collective thing. And then, when I was 16, I bought my own cello. Which was like this big thing because I was like, I bought my own cello. And I bought it in a sort of market where we were that was selling all the instruments. And a guy I knew helped me tune it and put it together. And I was just like, wow, I've bought an instrument. So that was a big thing for me. And then it's just stayed with me ever since. And when I went to university, I found an orchestra and when I came to Toulouse, I found an orchestra and I still play in that orchestra. And I've always played that. And I love, I just love cello music. I think it just communicates an emotional sort of bewitchment that I don't feel when I play. I really like playing it and it sort of takes me elsewhere. It's a little bit like mindfulness for me. I just sort of step out of what I'm doing during the day. And then when my grandma passed away, I bought a more expensive with the inheritance. So that was symbolic for me because she accompanied me in my cello exam. She came to play the piano with me and we did them together. So that was very cool. And yeah, that's just my instrument. I just feel something passionate when I hear the cello. Passionistas: So we also love the sister connection. Obviously we're sisters and we have two other sisters and we are also each other's best friends. What do your sisters do? And how often do you get to see them since you all live in different countries? Suzie: Let's take COVID out with this. Before that we saw each other about four or five times a year. But we would always take the time to have one weekend for just the four of us, dedicated to us. To just having fun and being together and that sistership thing. So that's how much we see each other. One is a lawyer, one is a translator and one is a communications director. And we're just sort of all over the world. But we're always connected. You know, oh, I must ring her. And it just so happens that she's okay or she's not okay. But they're my go to place for constructive and sisterly feedback that will help move me on whether it's what I want to hear or not. They're sort of my muses, if you like. It's funny because you know, when we all started sort of moving away and getting other groups of friends, I never once asked myself, "I wonder if that space will remain." You know, it just wasn't. And we've had this discussion between all four of us and it wasn't on anybody's radar. It was just like, oh, how are we going to make space for that? Not will it change. So I feel very, very, very privileged all the time, but just so grateful for that because it's a no matter what unconditional safe space. And that's what really inspires me as well to create that for other people, because it's so powerful. Passionistas: People don't understand if they haven't experienced it, but to know from birth that you've got people that have your back, no matter what, is really the greatest gift anybody could receive. Suzie: Yeah. It's a fab feeling. It's a get up and feel good feeling. And I just think you can recreate that in teams. You can recreate that in organizational culture. And it's such a shame not to, because it's so inspiring for everybody. And they don't have to be inspired by the same thing or motivated by the same thing, but they all want to work together. And clearly if you're in an organization you will have a collective purpose or vision depending on what the organization does. And I just think it's one of those things. I spend a lot of time doing pro bono stuff on this topic, just because it's so important. I mentor everyone, but predominantly women on building their own business. We go into colleges before they've made their choices. And it's not just about getting women into areas where they aren't. It's also about believing yourself. Build your confidence. Don't let anyone tell you it's impossible. Surround yourself with people who can help you or who can have that space with you, because I don't think I would be the same person I am today. If I hadn't of had that space. Passionistas: Thanks for listening to our interview with Suzie Lewis. To learn more about her mission to help organizations and leaders understand human systems so that they can create sustainable change and bring about cultural transformation, visit transformforvalue.com. Please visit thepassionistasproject.com to learn more about our podcast and our subscription box filled with products made by women owned businesses and female artisans, to inspire you to follow your passions. Get one for your Valentine and save 15% on your purchase with the code BEMINE2022. And be sure to subscribe to The Passionistas Project Podcast so you don't miss any of our upcoming, inspiring guests. Until next time, stay well and stay passionate.  

Steven Dossou, Inspirational TEDx Speaker, Author, DEI Advocate, co-founder Leadership University, Owner Sail Force Catalyst. Followed his dreams from Togo-West Africa to leadership roles on a global platform. www.stevendossou.com

Yannik McKie

Yannik McKie

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

Dusty Wammack

Dusty Wammack

On this episode of Tips and Tricks: Follow Your Dreams we speak with Steven Dossou. Mr. Dossou is a Transformational Coach with energy that radiates from the inside out. Not only is Mr. Dossou a Transformational Coach, he is also the Co-Founder of Leadership University. A place where students can find their voice and their purpose. With passion and knowledge, Leadership University aims to empower Educators to inspire and equip students with the tools necessary for their success in real life, outside the standard curriculum. Steven doesn't just inspire the masses with Leadership University, his ideologies have reached the TedX stage and he also offers "good vibes and sound advice" in his novel available on Amazon. Steven's novel "Psychology and habits of Great Leaders: Rediscover your true sense of Leadership", aims to give it's readers a more introspective look at daily choices. During this energy filled, fun talk; Steven lays out essential tips and tricks to help everyone listening adopt a better gauge of who they are and how they can be successful. Seamlessly teaching everyone how to follow their dreams. Tune in! *Episode in Comments* #tipsandtricks #edupexperience #Podcast #education *Listen, Like, Share and Subscribe* --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/danielle-shelton/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/danielle-shelton/support

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

Yannik McKie

Yannik McKie

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

John Kenney

Leadership expert, educator, & author Jim Kouzes visits with Dose of Leadership University members for an unscripted roundtable discussion. To start the discussion Jim asked the group, "What observations do you have or lessons have you learned about leadership over the last year?  If you were going to advise another executive on how to lead during a time of extreme adversity, what would you tell that person?"

We all have ambitious goals. Whether we want our startups to achieve a certain growth rate or to obtain that promotion that we’ve been seeking for years, these goals inspire us to take certain actions. That being said, we sometimes fall short of our potential. So what can we do to release and maximize this potential so we can live the lives of our dreams? In this episode of Connection Loop, Dubb founder Ruben Dua sat down with Steven Dossou to discuss potential and how to maximize it. Insights that you will hear in this episode include the following: Limiting beliefs can be a huge hindrance to your career. Even if you have the skills, knowledge, or experience to achieve your goals, your subconscious can prevent you from achieving your goals. Ultimately, the source of these demons is the daily experiences that we live. We need to evaluate the discussions that we are having, how we interpret the world, and our internal conversations to start addressing many of these limiting beliefs. Potential is where we are yet to be, but where we currently are not. We are supposed to be at a certain point or destination, yet for whatever reason, we have not reached that point yet. What stops us from reaching that potential are those limiting beliefs and demons. While some people don’t reach their potential, you can substantially increase your odds by being aware of the present. This includes what you think, how you look at the world and the actions that you take toward your goals. One way to maximize your potential is to embrace positivity in your life. As just one example, consume something positive every day. Whether it is a blog post, Twitter thread, YouTube video, or something else, ingratiating positivity into your daily routine can go a long way in protecting your mental health. Make sure to do this—even if you are already feeling positive and motivated. In effect, releasing and maximizing your potential is all about reconditioning your mind. A big part of it is accepting the fact that you do have control over your own mind. It is malleable—so long as you are willing to work at it. It actually is quite a liberating feeling. Starting today, you can recondition your mind and get that much closer to your personal and professional goals. Another massive way to reach your potential is to have others join you on your journey. It’s important to associate and hang out with others that are ambitious, high-striving, and positive. They can be a massive help in those inevitable moments where you are feeling down or discouraged. Make sure you are seeking out and building this community. This is a great conversation for anyone that wants to get more out of their career. Whether you are facing a substantial setback in your career or are looking to reach the next level of your career, Steven has some important words of advice for you. Enjoy the conversation! Steven Dossou is originally from Togo and is the co-founder of Leadership University. Leadership University aims to empower educators to inspire and equip their students with the tools for life success. Steven is also the managing director of Sail Force Catalyst, which is a personal development, empowerment, and motivational platform that focuses on how to use emotional intelligence to ignite individual and group transformation. He is also the author of a book called Be Transformed. As if that weren’t enough, Steven has an upcoming TEDx talk soon on the theme of adversity as assets. Want to learn more from Steven about the keys to releasing and maximizing your potential? The story continues at dubb.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/connection-loop-dubb/message

All too often in our work and lives, we jump at the first plausible idea that we unconsciously believe will resolve the tension and relieve our anxiety. Instead, the key to really using the power of the tension anxiety produces so we can hold onto our vision and tell the truth about current reality.  It's all about learning how to hold on to that tension and not react to the anxiety we may be feeling. In that way, we have the anxiety, but it does not have us in its reactive grip.

In this episode I talk about keypoints in the "Foundation Of A Leader". These are from the first lesson I learned in the first class at "Leadership University". --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/musicloverboy20/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicloverboy20/support

God has led me to enroll in a school that is led by him. It is going to be a great experience that will give me growth. Leaders need to be trained and brought up in the world. Amazing leaders can have Amazing IMPACT upon society.

What is leadership? Is leadership something you’re born with, or something that you can learn from? In this episode, you are going to learn what leadership is from a good friend of mine. All the way from Togo, West Africa to Bali, Indonesia, Steven Dossou is one of the most sought after coach when it comes to the topic of leadership. He’s the Co-Founder of Leadership University. To get the FREE 30 minutes coaching session with Steven: www.transformnow.site/stevendossou To Connect with Steven: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steven.dossou.980/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steven_dossou/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-dossou-3623b5106/ Check out his website: www.stevendossou.com

Ugochukwu Chukwujiaka sat down with Fred Swaniker, the founder of African Leadership Group to explore questions about education entrepreneur, the building and running of Africa Leadership University, and the key ingredient of a successful global education company. Fred is deeply passionate about Africa and believes that the missing ingredient on the continent is good leadership. In line with this, he has co-founded three organizations that aim to catalyze a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial African leaders: African Leadership Academy, African Leadership Network, and African Leadership University. Collectively, these institutions aim to groom 3 million leaders for Africa over a 50-year period. A passionate entrepreneur, Fred also served as Founder and CEO of Terra Education, a global education company that today provides leadership training to about 4,000 people annually at 46 sites in 20 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Swaniker has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was listed by Forbes Magazine among the top ten young ‘power men’ in Africa. Fred has an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was named an Arjay Miller Scholar, a distinction awarded to the top 10% of each graduating class. He holds a BA in Economics with a minor in Mathematical Statistics from Macalester College (magna cum laude). He was born in Ghana but has lived and worked in about 10 different African countries.

Presented by Daniel Smrokowski: The Early Years with Special Olympics, Athlete Leadership Journey, Becoming A Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger, Daniel’s Global Messenger Platform, Bringing Love To Hateful People, Lessons Learned, Favorite Memories Thus Far, Currently Doing Today. 
Plus, we conclude with Live Audience Q&A and Advice for new Athlete Leaders! Access show notes for this week’s podcast: Episode Show Page: https://specialchronicles.com/podcast384 Send audio and email feedback to feedback@specialchronicles.com Send Daniel a TEXT Message to 630-280-3082 https://my.community.com/danielsmrokowski Support This Podcast at: http://specialchronicles.com/give text “GIVE” to 833-953-2598 The #SpecialChronicles Show is a Special Chronicles Original Podcast. Full Episodes are available for Free and On Demand on SpecialChronicles.com — search #specialchronicles on all major podcast apps. Visit our digital home: http://specialchronicles.com Visit our Special Chronicles Show Page: https://specialchronicles.com/show Watch Full Episodes Online: http://SpecialChronicles.com/Watch Subscribe to our IGTV Channel on Instagram to View our livestream after shows and more Behind-The-Scenes footage and we’ll let you know when we do a “LIVE”— @specialchronicles Connect with us on Socials: http://specialchronicles.com/Instagram Connect with Daniel @podmandan, the network @SpecialChronicles Join The Conversation: #SpecialChronicles

Jonathan Gosling is emeritus professor of leadership at the University of Exeter, engaged with several initiatives around the world aiming to encourage responsible leadership.   In the UK he is lead faculty with the Forward Institute, which aims to enhance the contribution of an 'enlightened elite’ in the nation’s most influential large organisations.   He also supports teams in front-line health services across southern Africa as they find inventive ways to respond to emerging challenges - including those brought about by climate change.   He was co-founder of the One Planet MBA and has researched how societies cope with imminent collapse.

How do you keep a positive perspective when you start to lose hope? Today’s episode is a look inside my Monday Night Pep Talk Call from April 6, 2020 where Raychel and I talked about this. We give you tips you can implement TODAY to help you rise up when it feels like hope is lost! Grab your coffee and let’s reignite our HOPE together. Having trouble finding all the episodes you’ve missed? Find all of the She Who Overcomes episodes on Mandy’s website at http://mandybanderson.com/category/she-who-overcomes-podcast Connect with Mandy: Join Mandy and Raychel every Monday night for their FREE Monday Night Pep Talk Call! Register for the details at https://www.raymateam.com/mondaypeptalk. Order Mandy’s book, She Who Overcomes: Rising Out of the Ashes of Your Circumstances, on Amazon! Work with Mandy every month in the Leadership University by RAYMA Team. Details at https://www.raymateam.com/university2020 Hire Mandy B. Anderson to speak at your next event! Get the conversation started at https://www.raymateam.com/speaking.

A few weeks ago I had the wonderful honor of being part of a panel of experts via zoom to answer questions and share our advice on how to grow a business virtually. Today’s episode is the full replay of that panel. Hosted by my friend, Michaela Shell – from episode 42, the panel included myself and two other fabulous business women: Rikka Brandon – a virtual headhunter/recruiter, author, and speaker who’s been seen on CBS, Fast Company, and Huff Post. Lonna Whiting – a writing, editing, and content expert at lonna.co doing work for clients such as Gate City Bank, Wex, and Advertise Edge. Grab your coffee and listen in as we each share how we run our virtual businesses and work daily with clients on helping them develop strategic and fruitful virtual presences and platforms. Having trouble finding all the episodes you’ve missed? Find all of the She Who Overcomes episodes on Mandy’s website at http://mandybanderson.com/category/she-who-overcomes-podcast Connect with Mandy: Join Mandy and Raychel every Monday night for their FREE Monday Night Pep Talk Call! Register for the details at https://www.raymateam.com/mondaypeptalk. Order Mandy’s book, She Who Overcomes: Rising Out of the Ashes of Your Circumstances, on Amazon! Work with Mandy every month in the Leadership University by RAYMA Team. Details at https://www.raymateam.com/university2020 Hire Mandy B. Anderson to speak at your next event! Get the conversation started at https://www.raymateam.com/speaking.

It's natural to want to avoid your feelings and the reality of your situation when things happen that are out of our control. However, leaders don't stay there. They recognize that they don't have the luxury of hiding in fear because people are counting on them. Rise UP today, dear one. People need you.⠀ Today's … Continue reading "49: A New Normal and Tough Love {Leadership University Coaching Audio}" The post 49: A New Normal and Tough Love {Leadership University Coaching Audio} appeared first on Mandy B. Anderson.

It’s natural to want to avoid your feelings and the reality of your situation when things happen that are out of our control. However, leaders don’t stay there. They recognize that they don’t have the luxury of hiding in fear because people are counting on them. Rise UP today, dear one. People need you.⠀ Today’s episode is a look inside the tough love we’ve been known to give to our monthly coaching students in our Leadership University Program. Need help rising up right now? Listen to this and then join us in leadership university at https://www.raymateam.com/university2020. Grab your coffee and let’s rise up! Having trouble finding all the episodes you’ve missed? Find all of the She Who Overcomes episodes on Mandy’s website at http://mandybanderson.com/category/she-who-overcomes-podcast Connect with Mandy: Join Mandy and Raychel every Monday night for their FREE Monday Night Pep Talk Call! Register for the details at https://www.raymateam.com/mondaypeptalk. Order Mandy’s book, She Who Overcomes: Rising Out of the Ashes of Your Circumstances, on Amazon! Work with Mandy every month in the Leadership University by RAYMA Team. Details at https://www.raymateam.com/university2020 Hire Mandy B. Anderson to speak at your next event! Get the conversation started at https://www.raymateam.com/speaking.

“We never truly have control over our lives. The trick is to learn to release control, embrace the chaos from time to time, and treasure the moments of peace in between.” ~Maria Grace Today’s podcast guest is a new friend of mine, and I know she will be an encouragement to you as you listen to her journey of owning a business, adopting a child, and managing it all in times of uncertainty. Grab your coffee and let’s glean some wisdom from Maria Grace! About Maria Grace and how to connect with her: A Virginia Tech graduate, Maria achieved magna cum laude status in her International Studies degree with a Business concentration, and it was during her senior year of college that she was first introduced to – and fell in love with – the field of marketing. Within a month from graduation, she bought her first house, got married, and moved across the state to settle in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Maria’s marketing career began when she was promoted at the age of 21 from an Administrative Assistant position to the Director of Communications. At the same time, she started her own business, which would enable her to leave her full-time job and work solely for herself just a few years later. Maria’s dual experience in a company and as an entrepreneur have given her valuable tools and insights, enabling her to serve small businesses and creative entrepreneurs in the areas of social media, search engine optimization, and general marketing. With clients ranging from a Chick-fil-A franchise to a feature film, no project is too diverse to market effectively and create an active, engaged audience. In her spare time, Maria goes on sushi dates with her husband, chases the daughter she was blessed to adopt in 2017, trains for marathons, and reads historical fiction. Website: https://www.mariagracellc.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariagracellc Having trouble finding all the episodes you’ve missed? Find all of the She Who Overcomes episodes on Mandy’s website at http://mandybanderson.com/category/she-who-overcomes-podcast Connect with Mandy: Join Mandy and Raychel every Monday night for their FREE Monday Night Pep Talk Call! Register for the details at https://www.raymateam.com/mondaypeptalk. Order Mandy’s book, She Who Overcomes: Rising Out of the Ashes of Your Circumstances, on Amazon! Work with Mandy every month in the Leadership University by RAYMA Team. Details at https://www.raymateam.com/university2020 Hire Mandy B. Anderson to speak at your next event! Get the conversation started at https://www.raymateam.com/speaking.

“Creation has no age because being creative is a mindset.” When my guest, Ashton Hauff, said those words I furiously wrote them down. They hit my soul fiercely. Our conversation is one that is filled creativity and community and I know you’ll be encouraged by her wisdom and her passion! So who exactly is Ashton Hauff? Ashton is a visual brand designer who’s passionate about community and creativity. After starting a photography business in college, her zeal for entrepreneurship has only grown. In 2017, Ashton founded Makewell, a community for makers, and in 2019 she co-founded The Good Kids, a brand collective that helps scale businesses to six figs. Most recently, Ashton also developed her first product, Evertide. The 3-month planner, designed for lady bosses, combines your to do list, schedule, and mindfulness, so you can organize everything in one place. Grab your coffee and let’s hang out with her! Connect with Ashton: Instagram: www.instagram.com/ashtonhauff Website: www.ashtonhauff.com Having trouble finding all the episodes you’ve missed? Find all of the She Who Overcomes episodes on Mandy’s website at http://mandybanderson.com/category/she-who-overcomes-podcast Connect with Mandy: Join Mandy and Raychel every Monday night for their FREE Monday Night Pep Talk Call! Register for the details at https://www.raymateam.com/mondaypeptalk. Order Mandy’s book, She Who Overcomes: Rising Out of the Ashes of Your Circumstances, on Amazon! Work with Mandy every month in the Leadership University by RAYMA Team. Details at https://www.raymateam.com/university2020 Hire Mandy B. Anderson to speak at your next event! Get the conversation started at https://www.raymateam.com/speaking.  

Our world has been rocked over the last week as COVID-19 hit the U.S. and became real to all of us. It has been an emotional week full of many uncertainties, bad news, and daily press conferences from our state governor. Yet, I have a peace that I’ve never had before in the face of traumatic events. Social distancing is not new to the Cystic Fibrosis Community. We have had to practice this for decades! It is because of my familiarity with this type of lifestyle that I wanted to speak up and share some encouragement and tips to help you better handle this uncertain season we find ourselves in. Grab your coffee and let’s have a heart to heart… P.S. My company – RAYMA Team – wants to help you lean into healthy coping skills during this time. We’ve opened up our top resources from our Leadership University to help you keep your mind strong and lead your tribe with intention during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Download the free resources inside our Social Distancing Survival Pack now at https://www.raymateam.com/sdsurvivalpack-2020 Having trouble finding all the episodes you’ve missed? Find all of the She Who Overcomes episodes on Mandy’s website at http://mandybanderson.com/category/she-who-overcomes-podcast Connect with Mandy: Join Mandy and Raychel every Monday night for their FREE Monday Night Pep Talk Call! Register for the details at https://www.raymateam.com/mondaypeptalk. Order Mandy’s book, She Who Overcomes: Rising Out of the Ashes of Your Circumstances, on Amazon! Work with Mandy every month in the Virtually Savvy and/or RAYMA Team Leadership University Memberships. Details at https://www.raymateam.com/memberships. Hire Mandy B. Anderson to speak at your next event! Get the conversation started at https://www.raymateam.com/speaking.

This episode of the Growth Junkies podcast features the second part of a great interview with Dr. Henry Cloud. Dr. Henry Cloud is an American Christian self-help author. Cloud co-authored Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life in 1992 which sold two million copies and evolved into a five-part series. Visit Dr. Cloud's website: drcloud.com Listen to Dr. Cloud's podcast, Leadership University: tunein.com Check out the Love and Transformation Institute website: https://www.loveandtransformation.org/ Purchase the Four Dimensions of Human Health book: https://amzn.to/2MtUWSX

This episode of the Growth Junkies podcast features the second part of a great interview with Dr. Henry Cloud. Dr. Henry Cloud is an American Christian self-help author. Cloud co-authored Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life in 1992 which sold two million copies and evolved into a five-part series. Visit Dr. Cloud’s website: drcloud.com Listen to Dr. Cloud’s podcast, Leadership University: tunein.com Check out the Love and Transformation Institute website: https://www.loveandtransformation.org/ Purchase the Four Dimensions of Human Health book: https://amzn.to/2MtUWSXRead More →

This episode of the Growth Junkies podcast features the first part of a great interview with Dr. Henry Cloud. Dr. Henry Cloud is an American Christian self-help author. Cloud co-authored Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life in 1992 which sold two million copies and evolved into a five-part series. Visit Dr. Cloud’s website: drcloud.com Listen to Dr. Cloud’s podcast, Leadership University: tunein.com Check out the Love and Transformation Institute website: https://www.loveandtransformation.org/ Purchase the Four Dimensions of Human Health book: https://amzn.to/2MtUWSXRead More →

Talk about daring to be deliberate! Jim Olson took the bold step to reach out to the Founder of African Leadership University after reading about the organization in Fast Company magazine's issue on most innovative companies. Now he's in Mauritius heading up communications. In this episode, Jim tells the story of how he landed in a very unexpected place -- an African island in the Indian Ocean. As the chief communications officer and executive in residence, Jim is leading communications and teaching story telling courses at an innovative educational institution that believes in missions not majors. Listen in to Jim's analogy of how careers are like mountain climbing. His inspirational tale reminds us to be open to opportunities, take risks and notice that while the highest peaks are awesome, sometimes the vistas are even more amazing on the lesser known peaks. © 2019 Angee Linsey Visit: LinseyCareers.com Email: info@linseycareers.com @LinseyCareers on Twitter Linsey Careers on LinkedIn Produced by Podcast Prowess

Becoming a great leader doesn't happen by accident.Great leadership is a result of a relentless pursuit to grow and improve. A vital component to your leadership success is learning from other successful leaders.That's the driving force behind Elevate Leadership University.In this special edition of the 2120 Podcast, hear from Elevate founder, James Mayhew, and 3 of the other Elevate speakers – Matt Phippen, Arica Ohloff and Mark Moyer as they discuss the power of building into people.Elevate Leadership University 2019 is coming to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, September 27, 2019.Tickets and information can be found at http://ElevateLeadershipU.com.

On this week's episode, Andrea talks to Shari Edwards from Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock about an upcoming event for women in ministry, or women seeking to learn more about becoming involved in women's ministry, right here in Central Arkansas! Click the link below to learn more about Women's Leadership University and register today! https://www.absc.org/events/womens-leadership-university-2019/2019-09-14+09%3A00%3A00

On this week's episode, Andrea talks to Shari Edwards from Park Hill Baptist Church in North Little Rock about an upcoming event for women in ministry, or women seeking to learn more about becoming involved in women's ministry, right here in Central Arkansas! Click the link below to learn more about Women's Leadership University and register today! https://www.absc.org/events/womens-leadership-university-2019/2019-09-14+09%3A00%3A00

On the first episode of Camp Hess Kramer's second session podcast, learn about first day of camp activities in unit Havurah (HaVroomVroom) and Leadership University, and hear a synopsis and review of the Broadway musical Hairspray!

In this podcast, Andrea Lennon and Shari Edwards discuss all the great things coming your way in 2019! From Inspire Women’s Conference to Women’s Leadership University, the Arkansas Baptist State Convention is here to encourage and equip you! You don’t want to miss out. Come join the fun! (And bring your friends, too!)

In this podcast, Andrea Lennon and Shari Edwards discuss all the great things coming your way in 2019! From Inspire Women’s Conference to Women’s Leadership University, the Arkansas Baptist State Convention is here to encourage and equip you! You don’t want to miss out. Come join the fun! (And bring your friends, too!)

Justin shares how ALU is using marketing automation to scale their marketing efforts to reach their goal of creating three million entrepreneurs by 2060 by building 25 campuses throughout the continent. And by doing so changing a narrative of the continent to better represent the innovativeness and talent of the African youth.

In this episode of the L3 Leadership podcast, Doug interviews Dr. Henry Cloud. In the interview, they walk through the leadership principles taught in three of Dr. Cloud's books, they talk about Dr. Cloud's process for writing books and his advice for aspiring authors, his advice for young leaders, and the importance of coaching for leaders. To see the notes and ways to connect with Dr. Henry Cloud, go to the show notes at L3Leadership.org/episode155. Dr. Cloud's Bio: Dr. Cloud is an acclaimed leadership expert, psychologist, and best-selling author. He draws on his extensive experience in business, leadership consulting, and clinical psychology, to impart practical and effective advice for improving leadership skills and business performance. Dr. Cloud is a New York Times bestselling author, and his books have sold over 10 million copies. His leadership book, Integrity, was dubbed by the New York Times as “the best book in the bunch.” In 2011, Necessary Endings was called “the most important book you read all year.” His book “Boundaries For Leaders” was named by CEO Reads in the top five leadership books of its year. Dr. Cloud’s work has been featured and reviewed by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Publisher’s Weekly, Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. Success Magazine named Dr. Cloud in the top 25 of 2014’s most influential leaders in personal growth and development. He is a frequent contributor to CNN, Fox News Channel, and other national media outlets. In his leadership consulting practice, Dr. Cloud works with Fortune 500 companies and smaller private businesses alike. He has an extensive executive coaching background, and experience as a leadership consultant, devoting the majority of his time working with CEO’s, leadership teams and executives to improve performance, leadership skills, and culture. His experience includes three decades as a consultant, and as an entrepreneur, he started and grew a successful chain of treatment centers in over 40 cities across the western United States. His experience running a business of this magnitude lends credibility to his expertise on leadership matters in the companies with which he works. As a speaker, Dr. Cloud has shared the stage with many business and global leaders and experts, such as Tony Blair, Jack Welch, Condoleezza Rice, Desmond Tutu, Marcus Buckingham, and others. Dr. Cloud is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, with a B.S. in psychology. He completed his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Biola University and his clinical internship at Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. His philanthropic interests lie in homelessness in the inner city, as well as missions in the developing world. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Tori, and their two daughters, Olivia and Lucy. He enjoys golf, scuba diving, boating, and fishing. Connect with L3 Leadership: Website: L3Leadership.org LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/l3-leadership Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/L3Leader Twitter: @L3leader Instagram: @l3leadership Podcast: The L3 Leadership Podcast in iTunes How You Can Help this Podcast: To listen to past interviews, go to my podcast page. Subscribe to this podcast Rate and leave a review of the podcast Share the content on Social Media Sign-up for my L3 Leadership Newsletter If you have an idea for a future podcast you would like to hear or a leader you would like me to interview, e-mail me at dougsmith@l3leadership.org. If you enjoyed the podcast, please rate it on iTunes and write a review.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/l3leadership)

Dr. Henry Cloud’s Leadership University is a podcast about leveraging your influence, maximizing your potential, and enhancing your opportunities in your personal and professional life. Our goal: To help you develop and nurture the qualities you need to become a better leader.

In this edition @JeremyHargis and @LeesaMBoone hear from a member of Covenant, Rachel Sanchez as she shares a testimony, @MichaelBKnight speaks about Leadership University and we discuss this week's catechism table talk. Contact us at media@covenantcc.net and let us know how this has blessed you or to share your own testimony.

In this edition of the Covenant Insider Jeremy Hargis, Associate Pastor, and Leesa Boone, Media and Marketing Director and Student Pastor, speak to Pastor Michael Knight, Senior Pastor, about the upcoming Leadership University, Janice Moore, Assimilation Pastor, about Growth Track and they share this Sunday's upcoming catechism lesson that will be taught to children through College & Career. Contact us at media@covenantcc.net with comments or questions, or if you want to share a personal testimony on how CCC has blessed your life.

Picture the familiar scene: the visiting pastor thanks the local pastor for granting him the use of his pulpit; he sends out the call (“Can I just speak with you this morning?”) and the congregation responds (“Yessir! Amen!”). The disclaimer follows: he is only the vessel through which the Lord will speak. Should he say something with which one disagrees take it up with the Lord. He pats his brow, grips the podium; throws away his notes, transitions to improvisation; cadenced speech follows, and the congregation responds in kind. Erica R. Edwards describes the aforementioned as the charismatic scene in Charisma and the Fictions of Black Leadership (University of Minnesota Press, 2012). The new author probes charismatic leadership and its interventions found in literature written by African Americans throughout the 20th century. The fundamental questions Edwards, assistant professor of English at the University of California, Riverside asks are: What is the seduction of charismatic leadership? And, how does it shape 20th century African American literary productions? The rise of white supremacy coupled with sharecropping as a system of peonage made emancipation essentially a non-event. In the face of domestic terrorism singular, male leadership became a necessary survival strategy. Still, there is apparent dissonance; reverence for the black male leader in African American culture does not translate to the literature. From W.E.B. DuBois’s stage pageant “The Star of Ethiopia” (1913) to Marcus Garvey’s speech performances in 1920s Harlem, NY; from George Schuyler’s Black Empire (1936-38) to Zora Neale Hurston’s Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939); from Toni Morrison’s Paradise (1997) to postulations by Eddie (played by Cedric the Entertainer) in “Barbershop” 1 & 2 (2002, 2004, respectively) Edwards demonstrates when one depends solely on the convention of singular male leadership as the answer to solving the various communal needs of the people much is at stake: gender oppression; the violence of silencing; and, dismissal of all alternative forms of leadership, just to name a few. “The dream” of singular black male leadership has translated to the nightmare for the masses–and women, in particular–time and time again. In the end the book leaves readers with a set of critical questions regarding charisma and leadership. Erica R. Edwards’s Charisma is a critical read for anyone who is interested in the relationship between literature and real life scenes of black leadership–particularly as it plays out in the black political sphere in the post-civil rights era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture the familiar scene: the visiting pastor thanks the local pastor for granting him the use of his pulpit; he sends out the call (“Can I just speak with you this morning?”) and the congregation responds (“Yessir! Amen!”). The disclaimer follows: he is only the vessel through which the Lord will speak. Should he say something with which one disagrees take it up with the Lord. He pats his brow, grips the podium; throws away his notes, transitions to improvisation; cadenced speech follows, and the congregation responds in kind. Erica R. Edwards describes the aforementioned as the charismatic scene in Charisma and the Fictions of Black Leadership (University of Minnesota Press, 2012). The new author probes charismatic leadership and its interventions found in literature written by African Americans throughout the 20th century. The fundamental questions Edwards, assistant professor of English at the University of California, Riverside asks are: What is the seduction of charismatic leadership? And, how does it shape 20th century African American literary productions? The rise of white supremacy coupled with sharecropping as a system of peonage made emancipation essentially a non-event. In the face of domestic terrorism singular, male leadership became a necessary survival strategy. Still, there is apparent dissonance; reverence for the black male leader in African American culture does not translate to the literature. From W.E.B. DuBois’s stage pageant “The Star of Ethiopia” (1913) to Marcus Garvey’s speech performances in 1920s Harlem, NY; from George Schuyler’s Black Empire (1936-38) to Zora Neale Hurston’s Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939); from Toni Morrison’s Paradise (1997) to postulations by Eddie (played by Cedric the Entertainer) in “Barbershop” 1 & 2 (2002, 2004, respectively) Edwards demonstrates when one depends solely on the convention of singular male leadership as the answer to solving the various communal needs of the people much is at stake: gender oppression; the violence of silencing; and, dismissal of all alternative forms of leadership, just to name a few. “The dream” of singular black male leadership has translated to the nightmare for the masses–and women, in particular–time and time again. In the end the book leaves readers with a set of critical questions regarding charisma and leadership. Erica R. Edwards’s Charisma is a critical read for anyone who is interested in the relationship between literature and real life scenes of black leadership–particularly as it plays out in the black political sphere in the post-civil rights era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Picture the familiar scene: the visiting pastor thanks the local pastor for granting him the use of his pulpit; he sends out the call (“Can I just speak with you this morning?”) and the congregation responds (“Yessir! Amen!”). The disclaimer follows: he is only the vessel through which the Lord will speak. Should he say something with which one disagrees take it up with the Lord. He pats his brow, grips the podium; throws away his notes, transitions to improvisation; cadenced speech follows, and the congregation responds in kind. Erica R. Edwards describes the aforementioned as the charismatic scene in Charisma and the Fictions of Black Leadership (University of Minnesota Press, 2012). The new author probes charismatic leadership and its interventions found in literature written by African Americans throughout the 20th century. The fundamental questions Edwards, assistant professor of English at the University of California, Riverside asks are: What is the seduction of charismatic leadership? And, how does it shape 20th century African American literary productions? The rise of white supremacy coupled with sharecropping as a system of peonage made emancipation essentially a non-event. In the face of domestic terrorism singular, male leadership became a necessary survival strategy. Still, there is apparent dissonance; reverence for the black male leader in African American culture does not translate to the literature. From W.E.B. DuBois's stage pageant “The Star of Ethiopia” (1913) to Marcus Garvey's speech performances in 1920s Harlem, NY; from George Schuyler's Black Empire (1936-38) to Zora Neale Hurston's Moses, Man of the Mountain (1939); from Toni Morrison's Paradise (1997) to postulations by Eddie (played by Cedric the Entertainer) in “Barbershop” 1 & 2 (2002, 2004, respectively) Edwards demonstrates when one depends solely on the convention of singular male leadership as the answer to solving the various communal needs of the people much is at stake: gender oppression; the violence of silencing; and, dismissal of all alternative forms of leadership, just to name a few. “The dream” of singular black male leadership has translated to the nightmare for the masses–and women, in particular–time and time again. In the end the book leaves readers with a set of critical questions regarding charisma and leadership. Erica R. Edwards's Charisma is a critical read for anyone who is interested in the relationship between literature and real life scenes of black leadership–particularly as it plays out in the black political sphere in the post-civil rights era. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-american-studies

The young between the ages of 15 and 29 make up more that 50% of the population in several countries of the Middle East and North Africa. What is the status of these young people in these neoliberal times? Can what is taking place in the Middle East and North Africa be considered a youth uprising? What are the shared values of this generation that have made them such an integral part of the political upheaval in Muslim majority countries? These are some of the questions explored in a newly published book titled Being Young and Muslim: New Cultural Politics in the Global South And North, co-edited by Linda Herrera and Asef Bayat. Linda Herrera is Associate Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization and Leadership University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Asef Bayat is Professor of Sociology and Middle East Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Check Voices of the Middle East & North Africa on Facebook and become a fan of the program. You can also visit our blog http://vomena.org/blog/ to listen to past programs and share your thoughts with us. We look forward to reading your comments.   The post Voices of the Middle East and North Africa – What is the status of Muslim youth in these neoliberal times? appeared first on KPFA.